Rebuild of A Loving Heart, A Body of Steel
by renegadeofficer89
Summary: A boy, forced to become a man, facing the darkness of the world. A noble demon, protecting her fragile heart from evil. An outcast, with no one to live for. Together, the three will endure humanity's hatred and rise above them all. This is the story of three people, tied together by destiny. A rewrite of A Loving Heart, A Body of Steel.
1. Prologue

I am the bone of my writing.

Words are its body, and thoughts are its blood.

I have written three prologues.

Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain.

Withstood sleep to type, waiting for one's idea.

I have no regrets. This is the only path.

So as I pray... UNLIMITED REWRITE WORKS.

Okay, maybe it's no way as epic as that nor as many as that made it sound, but I have, once again, rewritten the chapter, and I believe this to be the best iteration of my prologue chapter yet. So have fun, and have a read!

For those who followed this story, this won't have much in terms of change. Nearly all the important dialogues went unchanged, so you missed nothing... I think. But just give it a read if you want.

Also, I am, once again, in dire need of a beta reader to help check my grammar and word usage. So please, anyone who can and want to volunteer please step up.

PROLOGUE CHAPTER Uploaded 25 February 15

BETAED BY: Jamalymal 3 March 2015

-CHAPTER START-

Chakra.

The very essence of a creature. Their mental energies and their physical strength, moulded into a power that flowed within someone. A manifestation of a being's experience and knowledge combined with their material capabilities into a liquid strength that flowed within every creature, big or small, tall or short, strong or powerful within a metaphysical circulatory system within a being.

And just like the two aspects that made it, it can be trained like a muscle, growing stronger the more it was used and can grow infinitely, like one's wisdom as he ages.

And as the loss of either aspect to a being can kill it, so does chakra drain kill.

Humanity. The only being that can manipulate and use such a power.

And the pinnacle of humanity, the Sage of Six Paths, the Rikudou Sennin was the one to have discovered the ability and method to use this power. Even his blood contained a massive power, for he had a powerful bloodline, a skill carried by blood and cannot be learned by anyone. He was the wielder of the Rinnegan, a bloodline unlike no other.

And with his bloodline and skills, he saw the world and how it was constructed, giving rise to the art of seals, a way of how to deconstruct and reconstruct the world in the form of patterns and chakra lines, having learned, from his own observation and practice, how the world revolved around chakra and its flow. His knowledge of the world's flow and the influence chakra had on it gave rise to ninshu, later known as ninjutsu, the art of using one's chakra from within to exert influence on the five elements that made up the world, changing and manipulating it as one desires.

And with his otherworldly strength, he faced against a terrible beast unlike any other: a titanic being, vaguely human-shaped with ten massive flowing tails behind it, known only as the Juubi. No one knew where it came from or how it appeared. Out of nothingness it came, destroying everything in sight as it killed everyone and everything it encountered. The world itself seemed to cry as the powerful being rampaged through the world. A single swing of its tails crushed mountains; destroys armies like toys. A single step destroyed entire towns, its survivors fleeing as a terrible feeling of death and destruction followed its every step. Lakes dried with a single breath, its hunger knew no bounds as animals and humans alike ran from its unstoppable charge.

As one, humanity cried out to their gods. To save them. To destroy this merciless creature. To annihilate it. To return their peace. Peace from before the titanic being came.

And the gods answered.

The Great Sage came out from his meditations and training only to face this terrible monster that came from nothingness, intent on returning everything in the world to the same state it was once in: a state of absolute inexistence. The Great Sage roared his challenge to the massive beast, the massive storm it brought with its every move not scaring him at all as he charged, meeting the beast that towered over mountains with but one thing in his mind: to eradicate it and to return peace to the world.

Like two gods they met, their catastrophic clash a story told for aeons. Mountains were torn asunder and recreated as volcanoes erupted and cooled at a pace not seen in millennia. Seas rose and fell at their command, the waters raging and calming with every move they made. Islands sank and rose, rivers dried and formed as the two fought continuously, one to protect and the other to destroy. The climate was torn apart as Mother Earth became the greatest victim in their battle. The Great Sage tried saving everyone and everything with his ninshu as he fought, every death and destruction another heavy weight in his heart, pushing him further and harder to stop this mad being.

Days passed as they warred with each other, nature itself became their weapon in an effort to best the other, the Sage living on nothing but his own powerful silvery chakra, glowing with an unearthly shine as he manipulated it to take the terrible beast down. Finally, he succeeded in restraining the immense being. Yet it still roared and raged, its strength too strong for even the Great Sage of Six Paths to hold back for long. And with his immense knowledge, he made his decision.

He carved furrows on the ground around the immense being, restrained by silvery chains on the ground. Pathways to the world's mysteries opened as the Sage constructed the immense array of seals on the ground, destined for two tasks united as one only: to separate the beast's physical and spiritual component, sealing the body elsewhere as its spirit and power lived on within him, forever bound to his mortal body. Yet the massive being held strong, struggling and thrashing as the Sage completed the massive array. The Sage placed his palm on the furrows before silvery power flowed from the Sage into the lines on the earth, the glow of the sealing process seen from miles away as it lighted the sky. The beast screamed its terrible rage the words of man as the sealing proceeded, feeling its spirit and body separate.

**"Cruse you, Rikudo! Curse you and all your descendants! May they all know rage, anger and fury! May they know vengeance! They shall never know peace, not while they still live! When I come back, I will crush them and feast upon their souls!" **the Juubi roared in rage towards the Sage.

"Such a thing will not happen, Juubi. I will seal your essence within myself and seal your body in an unreachable place, forever stuck in limbo." the Sage said while continuing the sealing calmly despite his weary and tired body. Nearly every worn-out piece of him was feeling the pain of trying to hold such a powerful force within his battered body, yet he endured with a will stronger than the toughest iron, wanting to end this abomination's existence.

**"Curse you! You will not be able to hold my power for long, mortal! You are but human, and all humans die with time! When you do, I shall be free once more!"** The Juubi continued spouting his demoralizing words, every sentence lined with unbridled hatred and rage.

"It's true that I will die. That is an undeniable fact, for I am mortal. But I will do everything I can to make sure you will no longer be able to harm this world!" The Sage shouted back in absolute defiance towards the still-thrashing Juubi as he watched and monitored the essence of the Juubi being absorbed into his chakra core.

**"Curse you! Curse you to the pits of hell!"**

With an ear-splitting roar, the Juubi's life ended as its spirit and power were sealed within the Sage's body, its physical form lying on the ground in a heap, losing every presence of life from it. Yet the Great Sage knew that he was still not done with it, for the being continued its rage and fury within him. Using the last dregs of his power the Sage lifted the husk, surrounding it and creating a massive rock in the sky, one that would later become known as the moon.

For a week the Sage was comatose, having used every last piece of his godly powers to subdue and seal the terrible beast. Yet no one saw his moment of weakness, having pulled the Juubi to a desolate area. Only stories of his battle were known. No one but the Sage knew how the end of the immense creature came by. He woke up with pain in his entire body as he limped away from the site, a smile on his face as he successfully stopped the creature.

The Sage travelled the world in his years afterwards, teaching his ninshu to the people in the hopes that it would bring peace and prosperity. A 'God in human form' he was called as he spread his knowledge and teachings, his power awed and horrified people all the same as he walked the world with his purple ringed eyes, the nine tomoes on each of the three rings spinning slowly with every second he lived, enchanting and terrifying every person he met with its hypnotic look.

Despite this he rejected it vehemently. Godlike he may be, but a god he was not. Again and again he rejected the people's presents and prayers. He answered their prayers all the time: healing the critically sick and restoring the lands, dead from the Juubi's rampage into something useable once more. The people kneeled and revered him, yet without fail he stopped them, saying that there were gods in heaven and that they should pray to them instead of him, a mortal being filled with weakness and imperfections.

Amongst his travels of the villages, the Great Sage fell in love with a woman, her name long since lost in the folds of the Sage's history, to be clouded by myths and legends in the future even as he himself were forgotten after his death. Yet at that moment, the Sage had nothing in his mind but the woman that he loved with all his heart, one that had the greatest honour of becoming his wife. Together they walked the world with the Sage passing his teachings down to his wife and the two children that were born from their union.

Yet unknown to his family, the Juubi's word were true. Not a single day passed by without the Sage feeling his body breaking up from within as his mind worked itself to its limits, trying to hold back the terrible whispers of death and destruction and infinite power the Juubi's essence within him promised as its vile power coursed through his body despite his best efforts at sealing it within him. All he needed to do, said the voice, was to let it go. Yet the Sage held it back with everything he had to his detriment. The only thing that assisted him in holding the power back would be his family, his love to them and their love to him the only fuel that helped him hold the influence back.

One day, the Sage felt his power waning, the effort of holding the Juubi's foul spirit within him too much for even his body to endure. He revealed the terrifying fact to his family, finally removing the veil over his weakening body, much to their fears and sadness. Despite everything, the Great Sage smiled calmly, telling them it would be alright and that he can recover in the future.

It was the only lie he told his family.

With the power his mysterious bloodline gave him, he split the Juubi's spirit into parts using his Ninpou: Creation of All Things. Each of the parts were imbued with a piece of his own soul, overpowering the defeated and fragmented soul of the Juubi, giving the parts their own personality and their own soul, something that would help in eradicating the vile Juubi completely in the future. The parts morphed from their original form as blobs of chakra before changing shapes into animals, some looking out of this world yet alive all the same.

The eldest sister Kurumi with nine tails, the Kyuubi. A kitsune demon, she was a fox with clawed humanoid forearms and rabbit-like ears.

The next was a male, Gyuuki, an ox demon that had the combination of eight octopus tentacles, being the eight-tailed or Hachibi, as legs on a humanoid body with an ox's head.

The third was a rhinoceros beetle with six wings and a tail, the seven-tailed Nanabi, male Choumei.

The fourth, the female six-tailed Rokubi, Saiken was a large bipedal slug with six tails and short stubby arms.

Five-tailed Gobi Kokuo was a dolphin-horse, a horse with a dolphin's head with five horns, two longer ones at the back of his head with three shorter ones at the front, all of them swept backwards.

A massive fanged red monkey with the body of a horned gorilla became the form of Son Goku, the male four-tailed Yonbi.

Isobu, meanwhile, was a female turtle with a crab-like shell littered with spikes and three shrimp-like spiked tails, being the three-tailed Sanbi.

The two-tailed female Nibi was a beastly cat made of bluish flames named Matatabi.

The youngest, a raccoon dog made of blue-veined sand was the female one-tailed Shukaku.

Altogether, they were collectively called the bijuu, the tailed beasts.

Together with his family, the collection of strange animals travelled the world, though the bijuus had to hide themselves when they encountered humans, in order to hide their existence and to prevent the people from freaking out when they met them. Like sons and daughters they were treated by the family, the teachings of the Great Sage taught to them as well. They loved and were loved, something that kept the foul influence of their powers from influencing them. The soul of the Juubi may have been crushed, but its powers were still corruptive, the terrible spirit of the Juubi having seeped into every ounce of its power as well.

Yet, despite everything they did, it was too late. The Rikudou Sennin's body was too corrupted and damaged to heal, no matter what ninshu techniques or what medicinal herbs. Within just months after he created the bijuus, his body was too worn out to survive any longer, even with his godly powers, a proof that a god he was not. On his deathbed, he gave his last words to his two sons, wanting them to achieve peace in the world.

In the future, their different philosophy separated them, the older Indra who inherited their father's eyes becoming the ancestor of the Uchiha Clan with the younger, Ashura who inherited their father's powerful chakra, became the ancestor of the Senju Clan.

Before he breathed his last, he wished to speak with the rest of his family, the still young and small bijuus, aged barely months old. Surrounded by the beings he himself created, he spoke, his voice wheezing as his body began failing him.

"All of you: Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Choumei, Gyuuki and Kurumi, hear me. Each of you were a part of the Juubi that I split and gave life to. There is however, something that I haven't told any of you. During the split, I also separated parts of my soul to create all of you, giving you sentience and a thinking mind. Also, the part of my soul within you has a part of my Creation of All Things jutsu that will activate itself when the conditions are fulfilled. This part of me will change you into a half demon, one whose powers still remain, but in a human form." He said to the Bijuus around him, both his and their tears falling in his final moments.

**"But father, why would you do that to us? A human cannot live forever. We might even release the power of the Juubi back to him upon our deaths!"** asked Gyuuki in shock and anger.

"That is true," the Sage said, nodding his agreement. "However, the condition for the activation of the jutsu is if, and only if, you manage to gain a mate worthy of the love of a Bijuu. Remember my children; that even though all of you were once a part of an evil being, love will be able to cleanse the powers of the Juubi that you all contain. The jutsu will only activate once you've found a worthy mate, and have given yourself fully to him or her, thus making you powerless. Your power will recover to its original level in time. This will cause the Juubi's vile power to be neutralized, and destroy him entirely. It will also turn your chosen mates into half demons as well. As long as you are not beheaded, you will be immortal with your children inheriting the traits of the half demon that you and your mate will become."

**"But father, why a human? Can we not choose what creature is to be our mate?" **asked Kurumi next.

"A human is special. Only a human is capable of loving another creature apart from themselves. However, it is also true that only humans can hate as much as they do, for our capacity to love is intertwined with our capacity to hate. As you move through life, you will find the journey hard and rough. Always remember though, that you will find your Destined One, and he or she will be with you no matter how hard the road may be. The Creation of All Things will also produce a seal that marks your chosen mate and binds their soul with yours. So that if one of you were to die, the other would follow. Due to this binding you and your mate will never be affected by any genjutsu, for one soul will immediately recover the other, aSoul Bond unlike any other."

Coughing on his last few breaths, the Sage continued his words of advice. "Remember my children, only love, pure love, can neutralize the power of the Juubi that you all contain, just like your mother's love did to me. Remember this, and you shall not be consumed by the evil of the Juubi's power within you."

He coughed again, ignoring his sons and daughters' sad eyes. "Each of you has parts of the Juubi's power. Shukaku: the ability to control sand and earth. Matatabi: the power to summon cleansing flames and move the dead at your command. Isobu: control over water and an extremely hard shell as a defense. Son Goku: the ability to create and manipulate lava. Kokuo: the power of scalding steam. Saiken: the skill to use offensive and defensive acids, poisons and even healing fluids. Choumei: the hard skin of the Juubi which manifests as a shell and the ability to fly. Lastly, Gyuuki: the brute strength and the multiple arms of the Juubi. When you and your chosen mate become a half demon, all these abilities and powers will be shared by you, your mate and any descendants that you may have." Except for Kurumi, the bijuus nodded in both sadness and understanding. They understood that they had mysterious powers unlike the animal that they were supposed to look like, but they never knew that it actually came from the Juubi itself.

**"Father, what about me? You haven't mentioned the power that my part of the Juubi has,"** asked Kurumi. She never felt any special powers, nor was she capable of doing anything that her siblings could.

"Yours is the most special, my daughter. You contain not just the extreme healing abilities that the Juubi had, but also the power to change and modify your body**. **This ability is what made the Juubi so hard to defeat, since he could adapt to any attacks or jutsus that I used. However, I managed to overpower him and later defeat him, so it is definitely not infallible. Always remember that." the Sage said his last words of advice to Kurumi.

His breathing and words both slowed massively, and with his last breath he spoke, his last tears rolling down on his old cheeks. "Now my children, remember to love, and remember me. Remember my story of the Juubi. Now, it appears it's time for me to take my leave, and return to the Pure World to be with my ancestors. Goodbye, and always remember that I love all of you." The Sage then closed his eyes, and passed on to the next world.

**"Father? Father?! Don't leave yet! FATHER!"** Screamed Shukaku while shaking the lifeless body of the Sage. The other Bijuu looked downwards, tears in their eyes as they watched their Father die a peaceful death.

And thus ended the life of the 'Saviour of The World', the Sage of the Six Paths. For a short while the entire family kept themselves close, yet grief took their mother's life away from them mere days after the Sage's death. Losing the unifying factor, the two boys separated from each other despite the bijuu's pleading and crying. And as they left, even the bijuus, previously unified as one, began leaving, making their way through life on their own.

The legend of the Sage became clouded in myth and mystery, lost within the merciless folds of time. Some ancient records said that they actually parted ways for thousands of years. Though the legends were varied and many, one thing remained the same. They all reappeared once more during the rise of The Shinobi Era.

The two sons, parted and separated married and established clans of their own within the war-torn lands. The teachings of their father changed and warped through the years, making it a pale shadow of its previous glory as they perverted the knowledge of ninshu, using it to wage war for the side that paid the most. From this rose The Shinobi Era and the mutation of ninshu into its more modern equivalent, the ninjutsu.

Slowly but surely, the evil whispers of the Juubi tormented and corrupted the bijuus. They remained hidden at first, hiding themselves from humanity. Yet their young, fragile minds were unable to stop the vile whispers of the Juubi within them, corrupting them and turning them from the guardian beasts they were supposed to be into massive abominations. Their titanic size, having grown immensely during their years of hiding, revealed them to the world. Humanity had long since feared anything more powerful than they were, attacked them in their misguided fear, becoming the final straw on the camel's back as their frail mind shattered, turning them into mindless beasts of terror hell bent on death and destruction as they rampaged across the land.

And once more, the Juubi showed the Sage that his words were true.

Only Kurumi, the eldest of the bijuu managed to hold on to her sanity. Even from the beginning she feared her power, constantly needing her Father's gentle touch to silence the voices in her mind. Not wanting to lose her mind like her siblings, she ran and hid within a mountain, sleeping for aeons, not wanting to harm anyone with her powers. In her hibernation, her mental state held true, unchanging as the voices in her mind were silenced with her effort.

The mountains she hid in would later become what would be called the Iron Country, famed for its mines and high quality steel.

Tired of the years upon years of non-stop war, a group of Shinobi decided to create peace within their own ranks by creating the first Ninja Village. Groups of Shinobi could work together in harmony, taking on tasks that they would usually ignore due to lack of manpower or skill. Senju Hashirama, descendant of the second child of the Sage, decided to make peace with Uchiha Madara, descendant of the first child. They decided to unite their clans under the banner of the Hidden Leaf Village or Konoha, the first Hidden Village. The symbol being a leaf with a swirl centre, in honour of their Uzumaki allies that helped forge the alliance. The success of the system quickly urged others to copy it, creating the rise of the Hidden Villages Era.

During the early creation phase, Hashirama, was unanimously chosen by everyone to be the first Hokage or Fire Shadow, the leader of the village. Yet Madara, who previously supported this alliance, was not satisfied with this decision. Madara still hadn't completely eradicated the thoughts that were buried within him from the years of fighting between the Uchiha and Senju clans, whose reasons had long since been lost. He believed that the Senju would eradicate them from the earth, suppressing them in the guise of 'proper leadership'.

Towards his clan's council of elders he proposed his plans, a massive coup d'état led by the Uchihas to overthrow the Senju from their high position before instating an Uchiha as the Kage, an action to prevent their future submission under the Senju's rule. Yet they unanimously voted against his proposal. Furthermore, they banished him from their clan, disowning him for his foolish idea. They were as tired of the years of fighting like the Senjus were, and his idea was the height of folly against their uneasy and recent peace.

Madara left Konoha in anger. In his mind, he could foresee the terrible future their clan would suffer under the Senju's rule. He had been thrown away for showing them the absolute truth! Hashirama may have been his old friend, yet he knew, more than anything else, he was a Senju, and they were enemies from the beginning. His brilliant mind, fuelled with his rage, began hatching a plan to take back the leadership of Konoha to Uchiha hands by force.

And it would first involve the strongest bijuu: the Kyuubi, long since hidden from the world.

After some time spent searching, Madara finally found the immense bijuu within the cavernous space within the mountains of Iron Country, its blood red figure radiating immense power unlike any other within the dark cavern. His much-vaunted Mangekyo Sharingan, said to be the ultimate form of the Uchiha's bloodline, the Sharingan met eye-to-eye with the bijuu's forcefully awakened self. And with but a mental command, the beast was under his control, ready to be unleashed on the world.

At a place that would later be called The Valley of the End, three people stood. The Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama, his wife Uzumaki-Senju Mito who came out from the safety of their village's walls from a powerful chakra reaction Hashirama detected from afar and Uchiha Madara. Hashirama realized the challenge he forced upon them with his chakra reaction. And so, he decided to question his rival – once a friend – on his actions.

"Madara! Why are you doing this?! The alliance between the Senju and the Uchiha was meant to make peace between our clans, not further antagonize each other!" Hashirama shouted to his best friend. "We were friends! We wanted peace together! Don't you remember our promise?!"

"Shut up fool! Did you think I didn't know of your plans? You would subvert my clan under your will, turning us into nothing but sacrificial lambs while yours will grow, unstopped and unchecked! The Uchiha would then fall under the sheer weight of the Senju's strength, and be forgotten! I will stop you before that happens even though my clan banished me! And they will learn not to trust a Senju!" Madara screamed his reply, bitterness and rage clouding his every word.

"No Madara, you are the fool! I did not choose to be the leader! It is by majority vote that I was picked as the leader. A vote which included the members of your clan!" Hashirama shouted back, trying to turn Madara's thoughts back to the right path.

"Shut up! I will hear no more of this! I will end you and your wife, and make Konoha mine!"

Hashirama sighed as he replied in sadness and failure. "Then fight we shall, Madara. I will not hold back just because you are my friend! Prepare yourself!"

And a battle of a grand scale erupted between the three, its intensity nearly matching the fight their ancient ancestor, the Great Sage, had against the Juubi. The Shodaime's Wood Release bloodline and Madara's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan which he gained by taking the eyes of his brother, Izuna clashed in an epic battle as living trees burst from the ground with a single command, meeting against unquenchable black flames of the vaunted Amaterasu. The surrounding areas were destroyed and rebuilt so many times the map changed entirely from the fight. Yet Madara never relented, continuing his unrelenting assault on Hashirama despite its futility.

"You are a great fighter and warrior as always Hashirama!" Madara shouted within their combat. "But this is the end! This is my trump card to defeat you! Summoning Jutsu : Kyuubi!"

A massive cloud of smoke erupted as Madara summoned his absolute weapon, the mind controlled form of the bijuu Kyuubi. Protected by Madara's ultimate defensive technique, the Susanoo, the Kyuubi roared forward, its entire being forced to fight against its will from Madara's powerful illusionary technique.

Yet Hashirama never faltered. He unveiled his own trump card, activating his Sage Mode as he absorbed chakra from nature's own, something he was very attuned with. With the immense power his Sage Mode afforded him, he subdued the Kyuubi in a prison of Wood Dragon, its massive form struggling all the while even as its powers were absorbed within the hallowed wood of his jutsu.

"My love! Concentrate on fighting Madara! I will seal the Kyuubi within myself!" Mito shouted out. She knew that the bijuus couldn't be killed, for they were chakra entities, corporeal beings that were without physical form. Even if they were somehow defeated, they would only reform again in a couple years. And the only way to completely stop the rampage of such a being was to seal it within someone, for no mere object can be strong enough to hold the immense power a bijuu, especially of the Kyuubi's calibre, held.

"But the Kyuubi is a very powerful creature! You will not last!"

"Have you forgotten that we of the Uzumaki Clan are masters of sealing? I will be fine! Just go!"

"Thank you my love. Madara! I shall defeat you today!" Hashirama screamed, power filling his every being with his Sage Mode.

"Do your worst, Senju scum!" Madara screamed back in reply.

With the immense power afforded to him from his Sage Mode he soundly trumped Madara and his immense arrogance despite his terrifying power. Yet Hashirama did not deal the final blow to him, still believing – naively – of the good within his old friend's heart as he left the area, leaving Madara's battered and broken body lying where he was, only a hair's breadth from death's door.

Hailed as the hero of Konoha for saving them from nearly assured destruction, Hashirama began planning for a peaceful coexistence between Konoha and the other Hidden Villages. To achieve that, he captured the rest of the nine bijuus with his Wood Release that had a strangely calming effect on them and distributed them between other villages as a symbol of peace and power balance, with Iwa getting the Gobi and the Yonbi, Kiri getting the Sanbi and the Rokubi, Taki getting the Nanabi, Suna getting the Ichibi, and Kumo getting the Hachibi and the Nibi.

A decision that was met with scorn by the Great Sage in heaven.

But this was not the end, for a new story began for Kurumi. A couple months after the Shodaime gave the bijuus away to other, newly established villages, she finally awoke.

_**"...What? What just happened? Where am I?"**_

Kurumi woke up and saw – much to her surprise – that she was chained within a pure white space. Her snout was muzzled, her arms, legs and tails stabbed with huge iron spikes. She tried to wriggle out of the muzzle and spikes, but it seemed impossible.

**"What is this?! I am trapped! How am I trapped here? The last thing I saw was a red eye with spinning tomoes, then I knew no more..."**

"This is your seal Kyuubi, and I am your jailor. Your Jinchuuriki: Uzumaki Mito." A lithe figure wearing a kimono, her crimson hair tied in buns with talismans hanging from them appeared in front of Kurumi.

**"What?! I am sealed?! How can that be?! I lived away from humans in secret! How can I be sealed?!"** She screamed out. She never expected to be sealed. It was just like what happened to the Juubi! What had the world turned into during her eons of sleep?

"You were summoned by an enemy of my husband, Senju Hashirama, during a battle. You immediately attacked my husband and tried to kill him. So he subdued you using his Mokuton or Wood Release and I sealed you within myself." Mito calmly replied. Even from her reply, Mito could sense that there's something more to this than what she knew of the Bijuus.

**"What? I don't remember taking part in any battle nor war, and I still remember father's teachings. There is no way I would be involved in a battle between humans."** Kurumi replied, calming herself as she stopped struggling against the spikes. She slumbered to avoid involving herself within the troubles and the wars of humans while also preventing the fate that befell her brethren from falling on her; to become nothing but a corrupted, deadly beast intent on crushing everything in front of her.

"If you do not believe me, I will show you the proof. I will show you my memories of the battle, and you will see the actions which caused you to be sealed." Mito replied towards Kurumi's confusion.

A jumble of memories from Mito assaulted the mind of Kurumi, and she saw her rage, her anger, and her power being used against Hashirama.

**"...What? But I don't understand. I have no recollection of these events, and as a Bijuu, I remember everything that happens. I do not remember being summoned, attacking you and your husband, nor anything that happened in that memory."** Such a turn of events was strange to say the least. She hadn't left her hideout for years, yet she found out that she was summoned for a battle? Why had it happened? And how?

"What is the last memory that you remember then? Maybe we can make some sense of it." Mito asked, trying to get to the bottom of the issue.

**"My last memory is of peacefully sleeping in my den in the mountains, before an explosion interrupted my sleep. I went outside to see what happened and looked into a strange eye, a red eye with three spinning tomoes around a pupil. The next thing I remember is waking up with these spikes and muzzle on me."** Kurumi replied. For some reason, that man's chakra felt like her father's. Albeit at a much lower concentration, as if it was diluted.

"That sounds like the Sharingan, a doujutsu that can cast powerful illusions onto a target. From what I can understand, it seems like Madara controlled you with the Sharingan and forced you to attack us." Mito said, giving her best explanation for the events that had taken place.

**"From what I can see in your memories, that would be the most logical answer. But controlled? If being controlled like that makes me become lost to rage, I'd rather not be controlled anymore."** His father, being their creator had a presence that could calm and pacify a bijuu, even the more unruly ones. His eyes, a powerful bloodline helped him in their creation, yet she did not knew whether he could control them like that.

"This father you kept talking about, who is he? From the way you speak of him, you respected him a lot. Care to share the story with me?" Mito enquired. She never expected the bijuus to have a father. Not that anyone knew most of their history anyway. They suddenly appeared, destroying everything in their path. Or at least that's how their history goes, as far as anyone knew.

**"Of course! Father is also known as the Sage of Six Paths..."**

And so Kurumi told Lady Mito about her existence, the Sage, the Juubi, and the history of the Sage. However, she hid the fact about the mates, not wanting to reveal it as of yet. It's not something to be shared lightly. Keeping it a secret would be much better for now.

**"...And now we end up here. Can you at least remove the muzzle? I have no problem being sealed into you. I promise I won't bother you much, so can you at least give me a better living area?"** She asked. It was very uncomfortable while also preventing her from speaking with any sort of ease.

Mito took a while to digest everything that Kurumi had told her. The bijuus all had a single origin, a man of godlike powers who had lived for hundreds of years and created the Bijuus to divide the essence of a terrible being, sacrificing his life for world peace. It was not something that you do if you didn't love the world. Mind made up, she spoke her reply. "You are truly a great and honourable creature, Kurumi-san. I will do more than loosen the chains on you. I will remove them completely."

With but a thought, the muzzle and bars around Kurumi disappeared. She then massaged her hurting tails, arms and snout.

**"You know, you didn't have to use a seal that stabs me like that. It really hurt."** She whined towards Mito, rubbing her sore snout with her paws.

_"Though she acts childish sometimes…"_ Mito thought with a sweat drop before continuing. "I apologize, but the nature of the seal makes the restraints appear as such. Anyway, why are you fine with being sealed within me?" Mito asked, though she might already have an idea of why.

**"As I said earlier, my powers all came from the Juubi, whose destructive rage can destroy anything though I can still stop myself from succumbing to the same rage by remembering father's teachings. I managed to escape such a fate by isolating myself from the rest of the world and hiding myself in the mountains when I felt the whispers grew stronger. I guess that it is not enough, seeing as I still got sealed within you. In order to prevent myself from being used as a tool again, I would rather be sealed within you, seeing that I cannot be affected by any jutsu in here,"** she said. It is not a good feeling watching how she lost herself to her rage in Mito's memories. She needed to learn to control herself better.

"Oh. I guess that is a rather interesting thought. You are welcome to make your home in my mind, Kurumi-san," Mito said, welcoming the idea. Having such a powerful being living within you would help much in a lot of aspects. Happy at being able to gain a powerful new friend and ally, she turned around to leave the mindscape.

**"Just one thing though, Mito-san,"** Kurumi said as she saw Mito's back towards her. **"Can I meet your husband?"**

"Why?" Mito asked.

**"His chakra… it felt almost like Father's for some reason. I want to get a better feel,"** Kurumi replied. It's strange, how in what she felt was just a few days, she had already felt at least two people with chakra similar to her father's. It would be nice if she could meet at least one of them in a much more peaceful way.

"Of course, Kurumi-san. I will bring him here into my mindscape."

After a couple of minutes of Mito leaving, a second figure appeared in front of Kurumi. The figure of Senju Hashirama.

"Oh. So this is where the Kyuubi is sealed in. And you are Kurumi-san. Mito has explained to me... What are you doing?"

While Hashirama was speaking, the Bijuu had come closer to him and started sniffing him for no apparent reason.

**"You have Father's scent on you. Though it's weak, extremely so. That probably means that you are related to him somehow."**

"Well, that's new." Being the person he was, Hashirama pondered for some time before snapping his fingers. "Oh yeah! There were legends that said that our ancestors were the Sage's son himself, though no one has ever proved it. I guess this means that we really are the descendants of the Sage himself, together with the Uchiha."

**"It probably is true,"** she said, nodding her gigantic snout in agreement. **"Only father's chakra could make me feel calm like that."**

Clearing his throat, Hashirama continued speaking. "So, as I said earlier, Mito has explained to me about you and the bijuus. We would be honoured to help protect you. Also, considering what you said just now, it seems that we are extremely distant family members in a way. Considering that you thought of the Sage as your father."

**"And for that, I thank you. However, there's one thing…"**

"Yes? What is it?" Hashirama asked.

**"It seems that time has long since passed from when I started my long sleep. And from what I could tell, Father's teachings on chakra and its use have changed greatly. I would be happy if you could show them to me, if possible, each and every one of them."** She asked. From the memories that she was shown and the way the two carried themselves, she understood something. The world had changed. So far away had time marched since she slept, that the teachings of her father had morphed. Learning these changes would help her understand the status of the world more. **"He showed us Bijuu****his skills, allowing us to learn a little of what he knew. Who knows, I might even help you improve your own skills with my knowledge,"** she added.

Hashirama looked at Mito and back to Kurumi for a while before he sighed. "I guess there's no harm in that," he said as Mito nodded her agreement. "Alright. We'll start tomorrow, if you want."

**"No problem!"** she replied cheerfully, her snout turning up into a smile, though it looked quite weird on her foxy face. **"I have nothing but time!"**

Thus began the life of Kurumi as she was sealed within Mito, who was taught in all that they knew about the ninja arts. Due to a Bijuu's photographic memory, even though she herself couldn't use it, she remembered the teachings of Mito and Hashirama, merging them with the Sage's teachings. However, she had questions of her own towards Hashirama after a while of him teaching her his skills.

Within the pure, untarnished infinite whiteness that was Mito's mindscape, Hashirama had just finished demonstrating another of his jutsu towards Kurumi as she looked towards him. Suddenly she asked him. **"All of your techniques, those ninjutsu of yours… I think that they're all skills to kill and to destroy. Why was that? Father taught the people his techniques so that they could help in building and improving lives. Not to kill and destroy. Why?"**

Her question shocked both Mito and Hashirama. Hashirama was about to answer when Mito said first. "Kurumi-san, it's been a long time since you've seen the world in its entirety. It is not easy for me to say this, but I suppose that it's because the teachings of the Sage have long since been forgotten through the annals of time. What one made for good could easily be twisted into something evil. The same thing could be said of a power that protects. That it could also be used by someone to destroy. It's just a matter of perspective," said Mito.

She took a deep breath as Hashirama looked at her with amazement and Kurumi with sadness. "Your father, the Sage… When he taught the people his powers, he must've had nothing but good intentions in mind, didn't he?" Seeing Kurumi's tearful nod, she continued. "It only takes one person to change the way his teachings work before another will follow, and another, and another, and another. Creating a chain of change in perception on the uses of jutsu. Over the hundreds of years, this change has created the opinion that jutsu were meant to do nothing but kill. An opinion that has been melded into the mind of every human living."

Kurumi remained silent after a while, before sighing. **"I guess what Father said at his deathbed was correct that men will kill, and war will continue to be waged for even the smallest reason. War, it never changes,"** she said, the last part added with a sigh. Placing her snout down on the pure white floor, she drew a deep breath before letting it all out in a giant whoosh as powerful as a storm towards Mito and Hashirama.

She then stood to her full height before staring at both Mito and Hashirama. **"I believe that humans could be at peace, one day in the future. It may be hard, and****the path may be difficult, but I will not lose hope. I just need to find the right person that could change the world,"** she said to both of them.

Hashirama quickly said, "And hopefully we'll be there for you when you find the person."

She nodded in agreement at this. **"Right,"** she said before she added. **"Well, let's continue for now. There's still a lot of jutsu for you to show me, isn't there?" **

And so, another day of demonstration continued for them, though her words weighed heavily in both Mito's and Hashirama's mind.

Mito's marriage with Hashirama gave birth to a baby girl, their only child. The child lived in a period of a relative, uneasy peace before she married and gave birth to another girl, one who will be known to the world in the future as Senju Tsunade. Not many years after the joyous event, war broke out as greed and hunger drove men to take from others. Hashirama did his best to prevent the flames of war from touching his beloved village, yet it was only a matter of time before it knocked on their door, bringing with it immense disaster.

Despite his truly immense power, Hashirama died defending his beloved village and granddaughter from the horrors of war as he faced down a massive army alone with no backup. After days upon days of battle he succeeded in eradicating the encroaching army, yet his battered body can no longer hold on as he died standing on the battlefield, the wide ground littered with bodies of the dead and massive trees, a sign that he fought to his last there.

And so ended Senju Hashirama's life, failing to see the man who would change the world.

Lady Mito grieved the death of her love ,her children's father and grandfather for a long time, her love to Hashirama as pure and as unflinching as nothing else in the world. Hashirama's death, just like the Great Sage's death to Kurumi's mother, sapped her entirely of the will to live, her only reason to live being the safe guarding of Kurumi.

From Mito Kurumi learned the love of a lover, something that her Father spoke of, but cannot teach her.

Senju Tobirama, Hashirama's brother, renowned for his skill in Suiton or Water Release was elected as the Nidaime Hokage, a vote once more undertaken by every major clan heads in Konoha. Years passed, and Tobirama died as well, leaving Mito alone once more, with only her granddaughter as company, her daughter long since died in the fields of war.

And upon the selection of the third Hokage, his husband's old student Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mito felt her spirit wane, just as the old Sage did. Feeling her end coming, Mito requested for a member of the Uzumaki clan from her homeland, the island of Uzu or Whirlpool to become the next guardian of Kurumi. The person sent was her own niece, barely five years old to act as the new host for the bijuu.

The Whirlpool Princess, named such from her relation with Uzu's daimyo, Uzumaki Kushina was told by Mito what she would put herself into. She bravely accepted the duty, though fear undoubtedly filled her as she did. The transfer process took a long time, yet she held herself steady through the entire process, reaffirming her homeland's decision to send her as the new host. Kurumi quickly took a shine to the little bundle of energy, bonding immediately with her. And just like Kurumi all those years before, Mito told Kushina of the secret to keep the bijuu's terrible whispers to a minimum on her deathbed: love.

A coalition of Kumo-Kiri-Iwa, the Hidden Village of Cloud, Mist and Rock respectively launched an attack on Uzu not long after Mito's death in fear of the tiny Uzu, fearing their specialty in one of the most difficult art of ninjutsu: sealing, which was their specialty. No one could best the Uzumakis in sealing arts, something that can turn the tides of war easily.

Yet, the Uzumakis never gave any quarter in their defence against the coalition, fighting them with everything they had. They fought with traps and barriers at first. Having expended those, they went into a head-on fight, using their mastery of Uzu's combat sealing arts and their skill in ninjutsu to utterly destroy their enemies. Yet their enemies pushed on, ignoring the truly immense casualty already on the ground. Out of weapons and chakra, the Uzumaki came in with their hand to hand battle, fighting the massive army to their last breath and the last man.

Nearly eighty percent of the massive army were destroyed before they managed to defeat the guardians of Uzu. They immediately marched into their capital, the city of Uzushio as the last man died defending it, having evacuated its non-combatants early on. The army went to work, pillaging everything they could get their bloody, tired hands on and destroying the rest.

As they came back from the tiny island, the forces of the coalition met with the counterattack from Uzu's oldest and strongest ally, Konoha as they struck with deadly strength upon the weakened army, destroying them entirely without giving them a chance to retaliate. They were slow to come, only having the war's news days after the war broke out. The hurried counterattack managed to defeat them, yet they came too late, for the rest of Uzu were in ruins.

As the war broke out, Kushina was utterly shocked and nearly tripped over herself to rush back towards her homeland to protect them, or at the very least avenge them. Yet Kurumi stopped her, persuading her that she would be of no use in her current condition, too young and too unskilled to be of any worth in the battle. The news of Uzu's defeat hit her hard, nearly tearing her young psyche to pieces. Thankfully Kurumi was present within her, giving her a permanent friend and a place to cry out her tears of sadness.

The Uzumaki clan were wiped out to a handful of survivors, all of them non-combatants who ran away from the village early on, Kushina being one of them.

Years later, Kushina graduated from Konoha's ninja academy before being in a genin team, a squad of young and fresh ninjas from the academy led by a senior jounin. With her skill and ferocity, combined with her fast healing and special chakra chains from the bloodline skill of the Uzumaki clan, she quickly rose up the ranks. Yet at one time, she was kidnapped by the bloodline-crazy Kumo, wanting to use her as a breeding machine to give birth to Uzumakis loyal to Kumo.

The gods answered her prayers of safety and cries for help as she was saved by the very person she once called a wimp in the academy, the future Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. In that very moment, she fell in love with him and immediately began approaching him actively, believing him to be her true love. Together they bonded, and together they loved each other, just before the Third Great Shinobi World War erupted.

Namikaze Minato, a recently promoted jounin, swept through the ranks of attacking ninjas with his most powerful jutsu combination, the high-speed instant teleportation technique the Hiraishin, allowed him to sweep across the battlefield at light speed before coming close to his enemy, delivering them a killing blow with his close-combat technique, the A-ranked Rasengan which created a spiralling chakra ball of devastating effect, both techniques he created himself.

Upon the war's end, Minato was chosen by the aged Sandaime, Sarutobi Hiruzen as his successor, becoming the Fourth Hokage, the Yondaime with an SS-rank in the bingo book of the other villages, his bounty so high that his life was threatened with every move he took outside the village. And because of this, he married his love, Uzumaki Kushina in secret, not wanting anyone to learn of it.

Not long after, Kushina became pregnant with a son, something that those in the know didn't expect from the completely tomboyish Kushina. No one dared say this to her though, afraid of her legendary rage within Konoha. Yet they all knew, if there were someone who would become a good mother, she would be the one, having been taught of the Uzumaki's familial value ever since she was young.

"Kurumi! I'm having a boy! Maybe this boy can be the person you're waiting for?" she said in excitement to Kurumi who was watching her container dance a random dance of happiness in front of her, a smile on her face as well from her container's infectious happiness.

**"I don't see why not. I can feel the power that the boy contains, and I'd have to say that this boy is going to be a strong child. With you as his mother and Minato as his father, I'm sure that the child will be tough, both physically and mentally."** Kurumi said, her container's happiness infecting her like a disease of the heart.

"That's true Kurumi. Now all we have to do is wait until I gave birth to him. To my little Naruto," Kushina added as she twirled around on her foot, her bliss truly shining together with a huge smile on her face.

**"You still decided to use that old pervert's book's main character's name as his name?" **she didn't have any right calling him old considering how old she was. But living with humans for years while also seeing how they loved and procreated, she understood a whole lot more about the concept of love and its taboos. And what Jiraiya, Minato's teacher as well as a self-proclaimed super pervert were constantly doing was definitely a massive taboo to all women.

"What? I don't think it's a bad name." Kushina said in reply as she puffed her cheeks towards Kurumi. "Besides, he's Naruto's godfather. He had the right to give a name to him-ttebane!" she replied childishly towards Kurumi who just chuckled at this, having heard her verbal tick so many times before it no longer registered with her.

**"Well, it's your choice I guess. I will not bother you with this petty argument anymore." **She said as she went back to sleep in her cage. However, Kushina didn't miss the smile that was on her good friend's face as she retreated back into her cage. Before she left, she gave a bow towards Kurumi, the same blinding smile on her face at all times before her mental figure dispersed in thousands of shiny particles, her feeling lingering within the wide expanse that was her mindscape.

And so, months later, Kushina was ready to give birth to her first, and unknowingly, her only child...

"AAAAAARGH! MINATO! I WILL KILL YOU AFTER THIS! THIS IS YOUR FAULT FOR GETTING ME PREGNANT! AAARGH!"

"Don't worry Kushina! The baby's almost out! Keep pushing!" Minato yelled out to his wife. His hand was probably broken in five different places, such was the strength of Kushina's grip. Yet, he didn't even wince. His excitement to be a father was the ultimate painkiller as his face shone with both joy and worry. In a cave outside of Konoha, a platoon of the best of Konoha's ANBU was guarding where Kushina was giving birth for they feared that people would sense the demonic chakra flaring out of her because the seal weakened the most during the process of giving birth. Within her, Kurumi was doing her best to not damage the seal even more while reining in her demonic chakra and help dull the pain that Kushina was going through, with Minato doing his best to strengthen the seal with one hand on the seal glyphs on her navel.

The cry of a baby then broke through Kushina's screams of pain, a sign that the baby was safely delivered. A boy, with small tufts of blonde hair and with the deepest sky blue eyes was handed over to Kushina with Minato watching close by. Watching Minato's excited eye, she weakly handed the baby over to Minato. But just as Minato was about to hold the baby, an arm appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the child and killing Biwako Sarutobi, the medic that handled Kushina's delivery and also the Sandaime's wife and Tsunade's teacher in a single move, something that surprised everyone within the room. Minato immediately took out one of his Hiraishin kunais and held it in a defensive position in front of the sprawling Kushina, ready to counterattack if anything happened.

"Who are you?! What do you want with my son?!"

The man, a person with a spiral mask on his face, laughed, his hand holding the blanket covered baby.

"Your son? I have no need for him! You can have him!"

He then tossed little Naruto away while laughing at Minato who immediately Hiraishined to Naruto's position before realizing that the blanket covering Naruto was filled with exploding tags. He teleported Naruto to a small shack outside Konoha, prepared just in case of something like this before throwing the tags elsewhere. The tags exploded without harm, allowing Minato to disappear in a yellow flash once more, leaving his child within the small shack alone. Meanwhile, the man reached out to Kushina's seal, laughing all the way.

"What do you want with me?!"

"Oh no, Kushina. I want nothing to do with you. The thing that I want is within you."

Realization immediately hit Kushina like a fist to the face. "You want the Kyuubi! But why?" she said, still too weak from the delivery to resist.

"It's because I want to see my ultimate ambition! I want to see Konoha burn to the ground!"

Blood red chakra began bleeding out of Kushina's seal on her navel as the man's arm reached to it, the carefully constructed seal unravelling with the man's chakra. The chakra coalesced into the form a fox's head with rabbit ears on Kushina's navel. Immediately it began struggling, not wanting its forced freedom. Yet she accidentally stared into the man's lone eye, meeting a swirling Sharingan eye. A glimpse was all it took for the man's control to fall on her, immediately silencing her down.

"Kurumi! Remember the teachings! Remember what your father said to you! Remember what you said to me!" Kushina shouted, trying to snap Kurumi, her best friend back to her senses.

The mysterious stranger chuckled as he replied, "It's too late. She is now under my control. And my first order to you is to destroy Konoha!"

Kurumi roared in approval before her every chakra swirled out of Kurumi and was absorbed into the man's Sharingan eye in a whirl before the man disappeared, leaving Kushina to die. Sadly, he underestimated an Uzumaki's vitality, since even though severely weakened, Kushina was still very much alive. In a bright yellow flash Minato flashed to her location and could only apply first aid to her, before she yelled at him to stop the man and ignore her. He then flashed to the man's location, locating him from the chakra sensing ability the Hiraishin seals he had around the village provided him.

Yet the only thing meeting him was the sight of the massive bijuu form of Kurumi as she rampaged across his beloved village, destroying everything in sight.

It was a peaceful day in Konoha, when all at once a man appeared above Konoha and summoned the Kyuubi. She started rampaging across Konoha, destroying homes, shops and killing people. The sheer vileness of her chakra froze many a man. Some outright had heart attacks due to sheer overwhelming fear. Ninjas fought valiantly to stop her, jutsu were thrown, weapons were launched, yet nothing stopped her. Both ninjas and civilians died by the dozens, killed by a swipe of a tail or stomped to oblivion.

Black and white chakra began gathering in front of the bijuu's open mouth as it charged up its most powerful attack, an immense ball of pure chakra capable of obliterating everything in its path, the Bijuudama, a bijuu or its jinchuuriki, the human sacrifice that carried a bijuu could perform. With a loud gulp the bijuu swallowed the massive ball of chakra, compressing and charging it further within herself. Its expanded stomach suddenly shrunk, the tiny ball of otter annihilation shooting from its mouth towards Konoha's town.

In a bright flash of yellow came the longcoat-covered figure of the great Yondaime Hokage, a tri-pronged Hiraishin kunai in his hand. Quickly he held the kunai in one hand, his other hand in the half-Tiger handsign , his pointer and middle finger held straight with the other fingers folded back before he met the ball of destruction with the tip of his kunai.

The ball immediately disappeared as it touched his kunai before reappearing a massive distance away, his jutsu transporting the massive ball of power to a different location. With a powerful eruption the ball exploded, so massive it was visible even from Konoha.

Despite the chaos, Minato calmly bit his thumb, bleeding it for the blood sacrifice required for his next jutsu before he ran his fingers through handsigns before placing his bleeding hand on the ground. A massive cloud of smoke erupted underneath his foot, revealing the massive form of the Chief Toad Gamabunta, a bijuu-sized toad wearing a happi with the circular crest with the kanji for 'toad' at its back, an oversized tanto behind him, a massive smoking pipe in his mouth.

**"Minato! What is the meaning of this? I am not strong enough to fight against a Bijuu, especially the Kyuubi! She's called the strongest Bijuu for a reason you know!" **Gamabunta screamed out angrily as the huge puff of smoke that heralded his arrival cleared. No summon can go toe-to-toe with a Bijuu, especially the Kyuubi!

"I know that boss. I just wanted you to stall her for a couple of minutes while I deal with the person who summoned her here and to prepare a method to seal her into Naruto!" Minato countered back.

**"I can't buy you much time! She's too powerful for me!"**

"Don't worry Bunta! Just do your best!"

Gamabunta then drew his tanto out of its sheathe and jumped closer to the Kyuubi, preparing to distract her. Meanwhile, Minato quickly fought against the masked man that attacked Kushina and managed to rout his attacks and force him to flee. He grabbed Kushina and Naruto then started to draw massive symbols on Naruto's stomach before they started arguing.

"We must seal her into Naruto! We have no other choice!" Minato yelled out towards the distraught Kushina as she saw the symbols on Naruto's stomach and what it meant.

"No Minato! There is always another choice! You can re-seal her into me!" She retaliated, the Uzumaki hot-headedness and legendary stubbornness still strong even in her bloody, damaged condition.

"But you are weak right now! There is no way for you to handle the stress of the resealing! If you die, then she will be vulnerable again!"

The mind-controlled Kurumi, still rampaging across the area quickly took note of the baby and the seals on it. Instinctively it attacked, thrusting its massive claw towards the baby, intending to kill it and stop whatever the tiny people were planning to it. Immediately Minato and Kurumi leapt in front of the massive claw, taking the hit meant for their son, the massive claw piercing through their torso easily. Despite the massive pain they were in, Kushina could still push herself, her legendary chakra chains erupted from her tailbone before wrapping around the mad bijuu, immediately restraining it with its unnatural strength and resilience granted from her powerful chakra.

"I guess... there is... no other choice... we must seal her... into Naruto..." Minato said, his words cut off by each painful breath he took.

"Yes... I'm sorry Minato... for fighting with you... let me say my last words to Naruto before you seal her within him with the Dead Demon Consuming Seal..." Kushina said, the last of her powerful life force leaving her.

"Naruto... there is so much I want to say to you... but our time here is short... Always remember... to eat your veggies... and to listen to Kurumi... and train often... be a strong person... and do not fall into hatred... you are the savior of the world... be strong... find a nice girl... Kurumi is a very nice girl... I'm sure she will like you as well..."

"Naruto... this is your father... I second everything your mom said... forgive me for placing this burden on you, but... we have no choice... May you forgive us in the afterlife... now I'll end this! Fuuinjutsu: Dead Demon Consuming Seal!"

The spectre of the Shinigami appeared behind Minato, a massive spectral demonic figure with a terrifying mask on its face with two long fangs jutting down its upper lips, tattoos covering its arm. The beads on its neck wrapped around its terrifying tattooed arm before it slowly pushed the arm through the silhouette of a man hanging in front of it wrapped in chains.

From Minato's torso a massive ghostly arm shot forward, grabbing the figure of the struggling Kyuubi before it began pulling. In immense pain the being roared as the hand expanded and covered it entirely. Slowly but surely the arm dragged and shrank the massive figure of Kyuubi into a ball no larger than a tennis ball. The arm of the shinigami continued on, pulling the soul before it quickly turned and switched direction, heading towards the seal-covered belly of little Naruto. With a loud hissing noise the arm pushed the tiny ball into the crying baby's stomach before the seals on his stomach burned, Kurumi having completely sealed within Naruto. The Eight Trigrams Seal on his stomach consisted of a spiral surrounded by many wavy lines in an incomplete circle around it. Some more wavy lines stood straight, perpendicular to the tips of the lines, pointing outside the spiral.

The Shinigami's tongue extended before wrapping around the ghastly human figure in front of it as its arm pulled out of Minato's torso before it grabbed the tanto within its mouth. With a quick slash, the figure of the person was sliced in half before the Shinigami inhaled and swallowed it. Minato and Kushina's body dropped on the ground as the Shinigami disappeared, the only thing holding them up having disappeared as six whisker marks appeared on Naruto's little face as he cried.

With his last breath, Minato commanded to the reinstated Hokage. "Hiruzen... this is my last order as the Yondaime Hokage... Make sure Naruto is safe, and make sure he is hailed as a hero... for saving Konoha."

"I will Minato, I will." he spoke, tears falling down his eyes as he watched the life fade out of the couple, their child crying right beside their dead bodies.

A great tragedy befell Konoha that day as their heroes died, leaving behind their son, the greatest hero Konoha ever had, one that had saved them from utter destruction.

And this was where everything began, for the story had just started for little Naruto...

-CHAPTER ENDS-

What do you think? Is it better or worse? Leave a review down there in the review box!


	2. Chapter 1: Early Life

Hello, and welcome to the first chapter of my story. For new readers, I hope you enjoy this story. For old readers, please take note that lots of edits were made on all post prologue chapters, though as per usual, the plot remains the same. But it is recommended for you to reread these chapters as well so that you can see anything that I missed. Also, these chapters have not been grammatically checked except by yours truly, and old readers would know that my grammar is ballsacks terrible. Anyone willing to beta read and check lots of words can drop me a PM. I'm always looking for new beta readers, and hopefully more permanent ones this time. But opinions really matter to me, so drop a PM or something anytime. I promise I'll reply as soon as I can.

Kudos to kylekatarn77 (Where'd you go, man?), Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, and all the rest of you guys who read a chapter or two before disappearing. All of you deserve credit for helping me with these chapters.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: Prologue! Read that, or you can just read the canon Naruto!

CHAPTER 1: EARLY LIFE

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

Mere moments after the sealing were completed, Kurumi's eyes returned to their original shine, a sign she snapped out of the genjutsu. A massive cage with huge golden bars that reached the heavens was the first thing that caught her eyes, inky black darkness surrounding her with foetid waters at her feet being the next. She recalled what happened that resulted in her being sealed in this dank cage. The last thing she remembered was seeing the same eye that once controlled her as she was forced out of Kushina's seal, a memory that made her sob in sadness as she quickly connected the memory to her current situation, her tears flowing without end into the dark waters underneath her, her entire gigantic frame shaking from her cries.

"**Kushina...Minato...I can't believe I got controlled again...by the same eyes ****no less****...I never thought that the same thing ****would**** happen again...Now I am sealed within their son...Forgive me Kushina, Minato..."** she cried and cried, having lost her good friend and guardian, Uzumaki Kushina.

As Kurumi wallowed in her self-despair, little Naruto, barely two hours old now, was sleeping silently in a small wooden crib within the spartan office of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, as said Hokage attended a village council meeting concerning his reinstatement. Standing beside the crib was a dog-masked ANBU, one of the best in service of Konoha, Hatake Kakashi. He stood stoically with his spiky silver hair on his head, the restrained bodies of three of his fellow ANBU lying beside him.

Despite the orders of the old Kage, the men attacked the infant with murderous intent. Their screams of 'the demon must die!' caught his attention before he appeared beside the crib, quickly restraining the three men before knocking them out, restraining them with ninja wire to prevent them from taking any further action. As a precaution, he stood by the crib, his eyes looking straight ahead, avoiding looking at little Naruto resting in the crib.

"Dog! Report!" came the commanding voice of the old Kage as he entered through the ornate double doors of his office, his experienced eyes quickly catching sight of the three disabled ANBU – his ANBU – quickly deducing that Dog subdued them all.

"Sandaime-sama." Kakashi, ANBU codename Dog, quickly stood ramrod straight as he verbalized his report. "The three ANBU on the ground decided to, as per their words, 'take justice into their own hands' and tried attacking Naruto. Seeing their intentions, I immediately subdued them non-lethally," he spoke professionally. Behind his porcelain mask, his one open eye glanced towards the newborn before quickly looking back towards the angry Hokage in front of him.

"Take them to the interrogation room," Hiruzen commanded, anger and disappointment of equal measure in his voice. "Let them know the hefty price of trying to harm Konoha's hero." In clouds of smoke, Kakashi's Shadow Clones burst into existence, each of them grabbing the restrained ANBU and taking them away to the interrogation department to await torture and punishment for their treasonous actions.

Kakashi stoically stood where he was, not budging as the wizened Hokage walked in front of him as he headed towards the wooden crib that held the little figure of Naruto in it. "Dog...no, Kakashi," Hiruzen spoke, his eyes not letting off Naruto's sleeping figure. "Would you like to take care of him?"

Kakashi stood silent, his emotions hidden behind his porcelain mask. As an ANBU, the elite of the elite, they were trained to hide their emotions, suppressing them with all their might to prevent them from stopping them in their duty to the village. Yet right now, his eyes were looking elsewhere, desperately avoiding the tiny hero in the crib.

Hiruzen said nothing within the deafening silence, understanding the lack of an answer from him. Kakashi was the Fourth Hokage's student. After his father's suicide, Kakashi drove himself further into training and missions. The only respite he had was his teacher, Namikaze Minato, Naruto's father, whom he considered his own father after a time. Finally, the Professor spoke. "Dog, you're off duty now. You can remove that mask."

Kakashi stood stoically as he heard his leader's command. Yet a slight tremble shook his hand as his hand reached for his mask. Slowly he held it before removing it, revealing the mask beneath the mask. Most of his face was covered by a blue cloth, except for his eyes, one of which was closed with a massive scar running over it. Underneath that mask, he could be called a handsome person, if only he would reveal his face to the world. Kakashi understood the Hokage's words, including their underlying meaning. He was not talking to him as one of his men, but as a fellow human. "I..." he hesitated. "I can't."

His one open eye barely glanced at the tiny newborn within the crib, covered with a clean sheet. "He...he reminds me too much of his father," Kakashi said as his eyes diverted away from the baby's small tuft of blonde hair, hesitation and sadness clear behind his voice. Here, in front of the wizened Kage with no one around, was the only place where he could show his feelings openly. "I...I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Hiruzen replied, a smile on his face. "My beloved Biwako was also killed. I do not blame anyone for it."

"Have we found anything there?"

"Nothing whatsoever," Hiruzen spoke as he shook his head. "Kurumi was not a bijuu that attacked people." Minato, from his marriage with the red-headed Kushina, became close to the bijuu within her, considering her a good friend who would help, not attack. And from what he knew, even Mito-sama said that she was just misunderstood. "Mito-sama once said so as well."

"Then what happened?" Kakashi asked. Inwardly his blood boiled, the thought of his teacher, Minato's, death brought anger to his heart, yet he smothered it with discipline and strength. Being Minato's last remaining student, the blond-haired Hokage told him that the bijuu were just misunderstood, and that they were all nice, and only humanity's actions towards them made them what they were.

"I have no idea," Hiruzen spoke. "No trace remained of anyone that attacked, and the only witnesses, aside from little Naruto, are dead."

Kakashi's eye glanced at the baby before he quickly looked sideways, his grief affecting him so badly he nearly fled the room just to get away from his teacher's legacy. "So what happens to him now? Who will take care of him?" he asked.

"I cannot, for I will be far too busy with Konoha's restoration," Hiruzen answered. "His godfather, Jiraiya, is out of the village, managing his spy network. And I believe he would not be a good choice for a father anyway, what with his...activities." Everyone knew of Jiraiya, the self-proclaimed Super Pervert. A man with immense skill in the ninja arts, he was a seal master of the highest calibre, not to mention a Kage-level ninja, one of the strongest alive and one of the Elemental Nations' best spymasters. Yet his habit of peeking into the women's baths for 'research' for his smutty book, the Icha-Icha Paradise series, did not make him the best candidate to be a parent, something that Hiruzen's late wife Biwako would wail on him for in the afterlife were the Kage to allow him to become one.

Finally, the wizened Hokage reached a decision. "I will place him in the orphanage," Hiruzen continued, holding the urge to reach for his pipe within his desk to reduce the stress he felt building within his head. "We need to hide his identity as the last inheritor of Uzu and one of the last Uzumaki alive, not to mention his identity as the son of the Yellow Flash himself," he added before he stood up, Kakashi watching him all the while. "He will mingle with the other kids, learn as they learn. He will have to be content without knowing his identity until he's strong enough to defend himself from assassination attempts."

Kakashi just nodded. Just like the old man, Kakashi knew of Konoha's hospitality and their caring spirit. It gave Konoha the title of 'friendliest village' amongst the people, something that he's proud to be a part of. But he just cannot bear to look at his teacher's son, not now. Maybe one day, after time healed the massive wounds in his heart, then he could watch him. But for now, he cannot. "When will he be placed there?"

"Tomorrow," Hiruzen answered, taking out his ornate tobacco box from within his drawer. Kakashi nodded in understanding as the Hokage lit the scented tobacco within his pipe with a small fire release jutsu, letting the smoke waft within the room, covering everything with its delectable smell. "I'll pass him to the matron tomorrow morning." Kakashi just nodded, agreeing with his choice.

Unknown to both of them, sinister forces were working their hands behind their backs, paving the way for a terrible future. Despite Naruto's status as a bijuu's prison – a jinchuuriki – being deemed by the reinstated Hokage an S-ranked secret of Konoha, the members of Konoha's civilian council – a council that handled Konoha's civilian matters – who received this knowledge during the sudden council meeting began spreading the forbidden knowledge of Naruto being the demon's prison under hushed murmurs and silent rumours, Naruto's parentage being conveniently omitted from the forbidden information spread due to the councillors' hatred of the child. Eventually the whispers mutated, facts broke into lies, and in just one night, the entirety of Konoha knew of the so-called 'demon child', the demon with a human infant's form, wanting their sympathy for the chance to destroy them in the future.

And they would not let such a child live a happy life.

Oblivious to the spread of such vile thoughts, Hiruzen brought little Naruto to the matron of one of Konoha's orphanage, the numbers having grown overnight from the destructive attack done by the Kyuubi. The matron's cheeks were red and wet with tears, yet she was smiling as best as she could despite the manner of terrible event that had befallen her during the attack, something that made Hiruzen's heart sting with pain, the assault on his beloved village still fresh in his mind. As he handed him over to the sad yet smiling matron, a feeling of happiness spread through his heart at the warmth the matron displayed in her eyes as she received the tiny figure of Naruto. As he left, he believed with all his heart that he made the right choice in passing Naruto to the orphanage.

As the figure of the Sandaime left the compound of the overflowing orphanage, the matron's smile quickly turned into a look of scorn as she glared at the demon child, the murderer of her family. An errant swipe of its tail destroyed her son's house, erasing it without even a thought. No one survived the massacre. Not her son, his wife, nor her grandchildren. Nothing. Their bloody bodies were dug up from the rubble, her son's body completely mutilated beyond recognition. Only his face, locked in absolute terror, let her know it was him.

"I may have to care for you," she whispered, her tears falling again. But this time, her face was filled with utter rage and hatred at the infant in her arms. "But I will make your life terrible. You will pay for every second you hurt me and everyone in Konoha. I will not kill you." She shook her head. "No, death is too easy for you. I will make sure you suffer as much my son did. I will make sure of that."

And so began Naruto's life in a man-made hell, born from a person's hatred, as the matron did her best to keep her promise.

A baby was supposed to be cared for, full of love, for they were a new life, born to the world by their parents. Yet Naruto's early days were anything but. During his first couple of days he was starved, not getting any nutrition at all. As a baby, he did what babies did: he cried. Again and again his tearful shriek echoed throughout the halls of the orphanage, his tiny body flailing on the cold, rough earth that was his bed.

He didn't even have the luxury of a proper room for him to sleep in, just a worn out storeroom at the back of the orphanage.

Yet the matron ignored his sorrowful tears, and when his screams got too unbearable for the old matron, she fed him, but in her own terrible way. She took a mug of hot milk and poured it directly over the screaming infant's open mouth, her vengeful heart ignored the pain heard within the baby's choking sounds and pained tears. As she left the pained toddler, she glared. "That's barely a fraction of what my family went through, demon," she hissed before slamming the door to the tiny room that was Naruto's torture chamber.

And that was only the beginning.

For his first year he was barely given any food. They only gave him enough to survive, which basically meant that he was force fed some of the foulest food ever given to a child, something his body couldn't even handle. With force beyond measure, they forced leftovers and sometimes even rotten food into his tiny body, hoping for him to be in immense pain at all times.

In the first couple of months, most babies were plump with baby fat, having been fed well as they cried and cried for more of their favourite milk to be fed to them by their parents. But not Naruto. His body was gaunt and thin, almost starved to death. Even if he didn't starve, the food he ate nearly ensured his death even without the terrible feeding methods they performed on his tiny body.

Children begin crawling when they're a couple of months old. Yet Naruto cannot even move his body, such was the terrible condition it was in. He could only roll over around the room, not even having the strength to crawl. His tiny room was dirty and filthy, the smell of blood and poop and piss hanging over the tiny room as maggots and flies surrounded his filthy, gaunt body. He never knew clothes, for they never bothered giving him any.

The only reason he didn't die within the first week of his stay at the orphanage, ironically, was the presence of Kurumi within him.

Kurumi, despite her terrible despair, quickly realised that she could sense the world outside through the seal on Naruto's navel, rendered invisible from Minato's excellent sealcraft. She could see what he saw, hear what he heard, and sense everything he experienced. A final gift from Minato and Kushina to her, something that made her smile sadly behind the massive bars that were her cage. Instead of sleeping like she usually did within Kushina and Mito, she decided to stay up. In tears, she made up her mind. She would teach him everything he needed to know about life, together with everything she learned of the ninja arts from all the Kages she had ever interacted with.

He would grow up strong with her as company, something she vowed to herself.

The first thing she saw when Naruto's eyes were open was the orphanage storeroom's worn roof as she heard Naruto crying from hunger like a baby should. From Naruto's eyes she saw that the entire room wasn't even a proper bedroom, but a tiny storeroom! An earthen floor and gaping wooden walls met her sight everywhere Naruto turned his head. As her mind held questions about the terrible condition Naruto was in, she caught sight of the matron as she entered from a similarly terrible door, a mug of steaming hot milk within her hands.

Even Kurumi's underdeveloped danger senses rang warning bells within her head as she saw the matron come closer to Naruto's body, her eyes almost glowing with hatred. Her mental alarms finally made sense as she held the mug over Naruto's head before her hand tilted it. Kurumi's eyes widened with fear as she saw, in slow motion, the white liquid fall on Naruto's tiny body. **"No! What are you doing?!"** she screamed. Yet her cries went unheard, as Naruto's tiny figure was bathed in the hot liquid, the heat making him shriek even louder before he began choking, the hot milk keeping his throat from breathing properly, part of the milk entering his lungs, nearly drowning him.

"**NO!"** she screamed in terror as she began manipulating her powers. Living within two Kage-level ninjas taught her how to use her youki – demonic chakra – to heal them and boost their powers if they needed it. Yet due to their skills, she never needed to use it much. Immediately a wave of blood red power exploded from her before it quickly moved like a sea of opaque crimson waters, flowing between the massive bars of the cage into the infinite darkness in front of her. She closed her eyes, guiding the power within Naruto's chakra system. Being a part of her, she could feel it wherever it went, whether outside or inside of Naruto.

She hated her power. It always made her feel uneasy every time she used it no matter with who or what for. The emotions her terrible power carried have always tried poisoning her mind with thoughts of death and destruction, something that she usually managed to hold back with the help of Mito. But what she hated most was the effect of the power. Its ability to manipulate and modify a biological structure was something that was too strong for anyone. It almost made her feel like a god.

Yet she knew, it's either she uses her powers or Naruto will die. And for her eternal life, she will never choose the latter.

As the matron turned around and cursed Naruto's existence, she failed to notice the slight sheen of red glowing underneath Naruto's skin as Kurumi's powers circulated throughout him, activating his chakra core, located at one's navel as she did so. Like tiny hands, her power spread through Naruto's body, letting her feel everything within him. Thanks to the medical knowledge taught to her by Hashirama to understand his medical ninjutsu, she had a good idea of how to help little Naruto.

She knew that she cannot risk exposing the usage of her powers. The matron would immediately consider him a demon, and treat him worse than she already had. Not just that, ninja would swarm all over his location within seconds and immediately suspect the worse had happened. Naruto might be killed because of her actions. She needed to be extremely careful with her operations, and only using an extremely minute amount of power, only enough to heal him without causing it to radiate outwards. With her being a creature made of chakra, this came easily to her as breathing.

Immediately her chakra made its way to his lungs, her senses registering the presence of milk within them. She went into action immediately, manipulating her powers towards the liquid. Her solution was as simple as brute-force: she 'dismantled' the liquid into materials usable to the body before quickly absorbing them into his blood.

Within seconds her powers made short work of the milk, quickly breaking it down and absorbing it into his body. In the next couple of seconds, Naruto's lungs were cleared of the foreign material, every single drop of it absorbed into his body as Kurumi manipulated her powers elsewhere, healing his injured body.

In less than a minute she finished, Naruto's tiny body healed as close to perfection as it could be. As she breathed out a sigh of relief, she recalled the time when Mito had her use her power on her body so that she could learn better about her corrosive, deadly power. She refused at first, worrying for her friend's safety, but Mito's insistence and Hashirama's safeguards meant that she could go wild within her body and still have no problems whatsoever with her.

That event gave her knowledge of how to use her powers.

She mentally glared at the matron even as she left. A feeling of absolute sadness struck her heart as she recalled her thoughts before the presence of the matron. **"I...I'm sorry, Naruto,"** she cried. **"It's ****all ****my fault! If I hadn't attacked Konoha, you wouldn't have to live like this!"** And she could tell from the matron's glare that it would only get worse. **"Don't worry, Naruto,"** she said as softly as her growling demonic voice allowed her to. **"I'll be with you all ****the time****. I'll heal you if they hurt you and be with you when you're lonely. I'll always be with you. So please, don't think you're alone."** She stood herself steady, becoming Naruto's sentinel and guard, his only companion within the cruel world he ended up in. **"And it will probably get worse, ****judging from**** the ****glare that woman sent**** at you."**

She could not even imagine how right she was.

During the first couple of days she was absolutely, utterly horrified by how they treated the little child. Food was roughly stuffed into his mouth. Food that wasn't for babies! If not for her helping Naruto digest said food quickly, he would have choked to death! Rotten food not even suited for dogs was fed to him as they continued their inhuman torture, and only her timely healing attempts prevented him from dying.

After the first couple of months, both her and Naruto's tears had dried completely, with Naruto having no water to cry out and Kurumi having already cried non-stop for a month. She killed the maggots that buried themselves within Naruto's filthy body, forcefully absorbing them to use as nutrients. She helped digest everything they fed Naruto no matter how rotten, poisonous, or filthy it was. Her powers flowed almost continuously through Naruto, preventing him from dying and both feeding and healing him. If not for Minato and Kushina loosening the seal on her new cage so much that she could use her powers, Naruto would have been dead on the first day of his life. And for that, she thanked the couple, lacking the tears to cry out in thanks.

Her efforts gave rise to unprecedented side effects, however. The constant flow of corrosive and deadly youki through his body damaged and healed it again and again, making him tougher. His body could survive more punishment than he ever would have otherwise. The Uzumaki were always known as the 'Clan of Longevity' due to their strong life force and their powerful chakra, yet Naruto's forced enhancements overshadowed even the rest of his kin.

By the end of his first year, Naruto, despite the malnourishment and frailness of his body, was living on, albeit most of his injuries were patched with nothing but youki. Youki powered every one of his cells, preventing them from dying. He survived the perilous weather of the Elemental Nations on nothing but a diet of youki and fallen raindrops and snow. Every single thing that could be done to help him was done by Kurumi, all to redeem herself and let her charge live to see the next day.

Her skill level with her powers sky-rocketed as Naruto's tiny body became her experimental bed, analysing every single thing about him to ensure that he didn't die a horrible death from their inhuman treatment. And in the process of healing Naruto, she learned about humans; how their body works, what manner of chemical reactions took place, and its reaction to the myriad of things he was fed with. She knew more about the human body than even the best of medic scholars from Naruto.

Only Kurumi's extreme restraint against her massive amount of power prevented every single ninja in Konoha from being alerted to her actions, a feat akin to holding back an entire ocean with a tablespoon.

And he grew up despite their cruelty, a sickly, skinny, one-year-old boy.

Enraged with his growth despite everything she put the demon child through, the matron began a new form of torture. She began hitting Naruto's body physically, tears falling down from her eyes every time as she recalled her son, how he was crushed underneath his own home, memories from their times together replaying in her mind, giving rise to despair and rage within her.

Every time her hands hit his body, she pictured her child. Her beloved child, the one she carried for months within her. The child that grew up to be a good person, never wronging anyone. The child that gave her three cute grandchildren. They all perished, her mind constantly picturing the massive debris that crushed them all, silencing them completely. In the face of such an imagined pain, she believed with all her heart that the relatively benign punishments she did were nothing but an annoyance to the demon in human form.

Other kids learned how to walk and to speak their baby tongue at a year old. At a year's age, Naruto learned nothing at all. His throat was torn so many times from crying himself sore that he would have lost his ability to speak if not for Kurumi who healed him continuously, supporting his body with nothing but youki and the scraps of food they tossed to him.

And every time she cried of Naruto's horrifying life, she wondered, where had the Sandaime gone?

Where did the old man, so gentle and friendly, the student of Mito's late husband go? Does he not know of any of this? The life he inflicted on Naruto?

Unbeknownst to her, the Sandaime was too busy to visit. Every waking moment was spent trying to patch up the destruction caused by her attack. There were men to replace, missions to conduct and people to meet. Every part of him was busy trying to shore up their defences and their reputation. Konoha couldn't be seen as weak, no matter how, for that would invite an even worse fate unto them. Every day he strove to strengthen Konoha, letting everyone know that they are not a village to be trifled with.

There was nothing that he loved more than his village.

A half a year passed with Naruto being tormented by the matron. Naruto had nothing to cry about anymore with his mouth unable to mutter even the most basic of words. Only gurgles akin to someone on death's door came out. The matron's cold eyes ignored the immense pain the little baby went through from her treatment, only vengeance and pain in her heart.

And during this time, he finally met his guardian demon within.

-BREAK-

Naruto's eyes fluttered open, having gone dark mere moments ago. The last thing he heard before his eyes went dark was a loud crack that echoed within the small room that was his torture chamber before his mind shut down on itself. Slowly his eyes opened, revealing to him a strange world unlike anything he ever saw before.

Infinite darkness stretched out in front of him, revealing nothing. Faint light shone behind him, coming from a series of tiny, flickering torches mounted on the massive walls of a tunnel. His body was lying in a shallow layer of water that smelled like him, the darkness preventing him from correctly observing the colour of the waters. Yet he could hear the sound of something splashing on the foetid and smelly waters close by.

Slowly, as his eyes got used to the encompassing darkness of his surroundings, he could finally see around him. Or rather, what was directly in front of him. Right in front of him stood a gigantic gate, its massive golden bars reaching high into the infinite darkness above him. The gates were bound in a single spot, a massive flat bar in contrast to the cylindrical ones beside it with a simple paper talisman with the kanji for 'seal' on it holding the gate from opening.

Naruto had no strength left to move his body as the splashes grew stronger, nor did he make a sound, knowing that any sound he did would only be construed as a reason to thrash him harder. He weakly looked towards where the patter of steps on the viscous water came from and slowly, the source of the sound revealed itself. A gigantic animal towered over Naruto's tiny figure, its blood red colour painting a menacing look. It was so large that Naruto's tiny mind couldn't even comprehend the sheer size of the being. Yet he could only look with minimal reaction, his horror muted from all that he had been through. Slowly he groaned, unable to properly talk. "Grrrgh..."

"**Naruto!"** the massive animal shouted to him. The water behind the bars splashed noisily as the sound of something falling on its surface echoed within the massive sewer. **"Thank the ****Gods**** you're safe!"** the animal yelled, fear and gratefulness in equal measure in its voice. **"She broke your ribs just now! I managed to hold you ****together**** long enough to heal you. You're lucky you have me in you!"** she teased, though sadness and pain coloured her words.

Naruto just looked at this massive animal blankly, nothing running through his mind. How could he understand what was going on? He never was capable of any conscious thought. His day consisted of nothing but pain. How was he supposed to feel surprised at this? His first thought was that this thing was out for him. His inner spirit as utterly crushed by this point. It only hurts more if he resists. Since he did nothing then, he did the same now.

Kurumi's blood red eyes looked down towards the tiny figure on the wet floor, her tears falling into the sewers again, the droplets glittering with the flickering lights of the torches on the walls before splashing on the surface of the waters, disappearing into the terrible waters. How could they be so cruel to this child? Didn't they know about his heritage? He was their greatest hero, yet they treated him like trash! Kurumi immediately decided to start the next part of her previous promise. Now that she had him with her, she would begin to teach him in addition to keeping him alive.

Slowly her tail snaked through the massive bars, and once again she thanked Minato for his decision to weaken the seal for her to interact with Naruto more easily. The seal's weakness was probably the reason Naruto ended up in here, the massive trauma from the near-lethal damage sending him straight into a coma even with her recovery effort. If not for the change, she would not be able to even come close to the bars. She nearly cried once more when Naruto's spread eagle body slightly flinched as her fluffy white-tipped tail came closer to his prone body, his reaction causing tiny waves to ripple from his place on the floor.

Naruto just looked at the massive tail coming at him, something different this time instead of the usual torment. A moment passed, but instead of bone-crunching pain, he felt something soft surround him. Something soft, warm, and gentle, it tenderly caressed his tiny body. Yet he still twitched in fear and imaginary pain as thousands of tiny furs began covering him, keeping him warm within the cold surroundings of this strange place he ended up in.

With a single soft tug he felt his body rise, being lifted from the foetid waters by the same thing that warmed him. Slowly, gradually, he could feel his body going higher and higher. Yet unlike the time with the matron, this feeling was different. Calmer, more affectionate, and warmer, something he'd never felt before. The heat spread throughout his tiny form, slowly calming down the nervous twitches in his body, a natural reaction after such a terrible life.

Higher and higher it brought him, up until he reached the animal's head. And there Naruto saw this massive thing that was with him. The thing's head was fox-like, yet a pair of long, rabbit-like ears was on its head. Tearful crimson eyes met dead blue ones as Kurumi stared into Naruto's own eyes. She did nothing else, just wrapping Naruto with a cocoon made of her tail, staring straight into Naruto's eyes at all times, never once breaking eye contact with him as she felt his tiny body within her tail.

"**Naruto,"** she began. **"I know you don't understand me. And I don't think you know your name ****yet****. But I am here with you. I will teach you everything. I will always be with you. No matter what happens, I am here, Naruto. You can come here anytime. If they are hitting you, you can stay here. I'll make sure you'll be fine."** Naruto just looked at her, not having anything to say to her. Kurumi let loose a slow sigh at this. She needed to start with the most basic of lessons: his name. Kurumi lifted her obsidian black claw and pointed towards the tiny baby in her tail. **"Naruto. Na-ru-to," **she slowly said, trying to get him to learn his own name.

Naruto said nothing.

Undeterred, she repeated her words. Again and again she voiced his name. She had nothing but time in here, and she knew that. Time and time again she repeated herself. Finally, she saw some reaction from Naruto after a long while of attempting to communicate with him. His lips parted and trembled slightly, so small it was almost invisible.

Yet Kurumi's heart rose as her eyes widened, her happiness at Naruto's attempt to copy her clearly apparent. **"Good, Naruto! Good! ****Again****!" **Once again she continued her attempts, trying her hardest to get him to speak, no matter how little.

She inexhaustibly continued, again and again, pointing towards her tiny charge repeatedly, trying to make him learn his own name. She had infinite patience as she did so, rewarding his every small attempt with a slow caress of her warm tail, something that Naruto found gentle and calming every time.

".. O... " came Naruto's weak groan, his small voice sounding infinitely large to Kurumi within the empty, dank space, her face lighting up like a thousand light bulbs just flashed to life underneath her skin. **"Good! Good, Naruto!"** She wept happily. **"Keep it up! Once more!"** she cried, tears of happiness falling down from her face, small flicks of her tail caressing Naruto's tiny body. He understood not why, but he felt safe and calm in her grasp. Again and again he tried copying her, his rarely used vocal cords doing their best to copy this nice being's speech.

And so began a relationship between the two; a human and a demon, a jailer and its prisoner, in a world hidden to all...

-CHAPTER ENDS-

Read and review, would you kindly?


	3. Chapter 2: Creation of a Legend

Nothing to say, just have a read. Once again, thanks to kylekatarn77, Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, and all the rest of you guys.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: After the sealing, Kurumi cried and Naruto was taken by the Hokage. He suggested that Kakashi took him in, but he can't. Hiruzen placed Naruto in the orphanage, but he went through a terrible life from that decision. But after a year of torture, he finally met his demon within.

CHAPTER 2: CREATION OF A LEGEND

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

A loud whack echoed within the tiny room as a thin bamboo stick struck Naruto's tiny, emaciated figure, waking him up from his best dream ever. His body barely had the strength to move itself as the tiny rod whipped his body. "Wake up, demon!" came the voice of the matron, 'waking' him up. Naruto could only roll weakly in response. The matron watched the worn boy without a shred of mercy in her heart, only contempt.

Her other hand moved, spilling the plate of mouldy rice she was carrying on him. The stench of the spoilt rice hovered within the filthy room, further adding to the noxious smell coming from the room. Yet the matron was not bothered by the foul odour, knowing that her insatiable anger was more important than her own comfort, and even more so when he could avenge her child's pain from this beast. "You're not worthy of food, demon," she hissed before she quickly turned around, the wooden door slamming behind her disappearing figure.

Within his mindscape, Kurumi watched the disappearing of the matron, and she went to work immediately. Her power once again flooded within Naruto's tiny body, a slight glow emitting underneath his skin as she did so. Microscopic tendrils of youki reached towards the foul food that came to contact with Naruto's skin. It immediately went to work, dissolving the vile food and killing the bacteria on it before being absorbed into Naruto through his skin, the only way for him to receive his nutrition now.

As she helped digest the rotten food for Naruto, she spread herself, her power reaching towards Naruto's skin, quickly healing his hurt body. Her powers made short work of the small wounds, mending them within seconds. It does not take long before Naruto's body recovered completely, and only his consciousness need to return to his body.

Kurumi watched Naruto's prone figure in his mindscape through the massive bars of her cage, observing any sign of his return back to the realm of the conscious. His small chest barely moved as he took in the air around him, the filthy waters lapping on his body making small splashing noises within the dimly lit mindscape.

Minutes passed, yet Naruto didn't move a single muscle, still lying where he was on the waters. Kurumi's worry began to grow as she saw his lack of movement. **"Naruto...?"** she asked slowly, trying to call him back to wakefulness. **"Naruto...? Are you awake?"** she whispered again, hoping to all gods above that he would survive.

Worried, a tail of hers slipped between the massive bars, slowly reaching towards his prone body. Slowly her fluffy tail reached Naruto. In a single move her tail swept him up on it before she carried him slowly towards her cage, straight towards her face. She brought her snout closer towards him before taking a deep whiff of him. **"Still alive,"** came the result of her analysis. Her tongue stretched towards him, licking him, while taking extreme care not to send him flying from her massive tongue. **"Naruto, wake up," **she whispered within his ears, trying to rouse him up.

Slowly but surely, she saw that she was having an effect on him. His body lightly stirred, the muscles of his arm twitched to wakefulness. In moments his eyelids fluttered, showing that he was awake. Unable to move, he just gurgled lightly on his spot on Kurumi's tail. "Ugr..."

"**Shh, Naruto, don't say anything,"** she spoke before she stretched a second tail towards him. The unnaturally flexible tail stretched on him before she began stroking him lightly, warming his mental image. Yet only in here, within the relative safety of his mind did Naruto felt safe for the first time in his life. And buoyed by Kurumi's gentle ministrations he slept, his body enjoying the warmth and feel she brought him.

Kurumi smiled at this sight. This is what a child should do, sleeping calmly within someone's gentle hold, not having to survive through a terrible life day in and day out. She continued her actions, slowly stroking Naruto's body like he's a cat, making sure that he had a good sleep, even if it's just in his mind. **"Sleep, Naruto," **she slowly spoke with a sad smile on her face, tears pooling within her massive eyes. **"Sleep and heal."**

And Naruto, not understanding her words, kept on sleeping, as befitting that of a toddler.

-BREAK-

The matron walked through the corridors of her orphanage, her mind still thinking towards the demon. Her mind was filled with anger and sadness, as she once again recalled the sight of her only son, found underneath the rubble of his home. Only the fact that the orphanage was located far away from the rampaging demon saved her life. And she still felt its terrible power.

And now, she was avenging her son, to let the demon feel the same pain he would have felt where he was.

"Mom?" the voice of a little girl snapped her out of her bitter thoughts. Immediately her eyes snapped towards the source of the voice. A girl, wearing worn clothes two sizes too big for her stood in front of the matron, hugging the teddy bear she was holding tight.

The matron's rage evaporated at the sight of one of her charge, her eyes still slightly bleary from being awoken quite early. She kneeled down, putting the best smile she had on her face. "Hello, Mion," she said happily, putting a hand on the little girl's shoulder. "You just woke up?"

"Uh huh," she replied with a nod of her head. "Everyone's still sleeping."

"I'll wake them up," she replied with a smile. But as she stood to wake the kids, she was stopped by a small tug at her trousers, causing her to look at the little girl, now named Mion once more. "What is it?"

"Mom," she began, but quickly stopped as her face turned sideways, avoiding her stepmother's loving gaze.

"What is it, Mion?" she kneeled again, one hand on her shoulder as the other patted her tiny head. "Just say it, Mion," came her gentle words. "You know I won't get angry with you."

"But... You're angry just now," she slowly said. "You're never angry."

"Am I?" she replied with a smile, yet her mind immediately began spinning in turmoil from what the little girl said. But she managed to find a good reply to her own question. "I am, but I'm not angry at you," she said, slowly rubbing her head. "I'm angry at someone else."

"At who?"

"..." She remained silent, thinking of an answer to her disarming question. "It's not at you, which is what matters," she replied, once again patting her head gently. "But don't come at the back of the house," she advised, her hand pointing towards the back of the orphanage building. "A demon lives there, and I'm holding it back."

"A demon?"

"Yes," she nodded. "It's very evil, and if you come close to it, it might poison your mind. So don't come near."

"Okay," the little girl replied with a smile. She knew that demons are bad, and you shouldn't play around with it or close to it. "I'll tell the others as well."

"Please do," the matron replied with a nod of her head as she watched the little girl skip away towards her fellow orphans, her figure following right behind her. Before she left, she shot one last glare towards Naruto's cage. "I will protect the kids from you, demon," she whispered. "You will not harm them. Not when I'm still breathing." Her footsteps immediately quickened as she attempted to catch up to her speedy charge. "Mion, wait for me," she called out towards the girl, watching her disappear to the upper floors of the orphanage.

-BREAK-

A long time, at least to the accelerated time within one's mindscape, passed by before Naruto woke up, his eyes weakly looked sideways, meeting Kurumi's massive eyes, each larger than he was. **"Good morning, Naruto," **she spoke, a smile on her vulpine face as she continued her gentle caresses of Naruto's battered body.

Naruto heard her soft voice calling out his name. And just for the second time in his short life, he felt truly safe, that no one could harm him. His eyes quickly opened, showing energy forcefully hidden from the world in his bright blue eyes. And within those eyes, a feeling of happiness shone within them.

He cooed slowly, enjoying her gentle ministrations once more, something he always loved. Kurumi smiled again. His face, despite the bad life he was in, was calm and relaxed when she was with her, something that soothed her pained heart. **"I caused this life to you, Naruto. Let me help you."**

Naruto said nothing.

**"Let's begin your tutorial for today, shall we? Your name first." **Once again, she pointed her claw to Naruto. **"Na."**

Naruto heard her voice and remembered yesterday's session. He knew not what she said, but he instinctively knew what to do: he just needed to imitate her words as best as he can. His lips trembled as he tried to speak a part of his name again. Yet as he did, nothing came out from his mouth but a small growl, sounding more like a nasal dog's bark than anything.

Yet he endured, pushing ahead. Again and again he attempted to speak his name as Kurumi slowly taught him, her patience boundless in teaching Naruto his name, even if it's just a small part of it. Hours seemed to pass as she slowly taught him how to speak.

Finally, her patience was rewarded.

"...Na," he spoke finally, a cheerful glow within his eyes as he stared straight into Kurumi's eyes. Her eyes widened as she heard his small voice.

"**Good!"** she happily cheered for the little boy. **"Now continue! Ru!"** she quickly spoke, continuing her teaching. Her eyes cried tears of happiness as Naruto smiled as he followed her words, doing his best to copy her. A huge smile on her face shone with her happiness as she tirelessly taught Naruto his words.

And within the time dilation the mindscape offered, Naruto finally managed to say his own name.

Immediately Kurumi started teaching Naruto how to speak her name next. And it does not take long as Naruto managed to learn her name next.

Within the real world, the sun stood high on the sky as afternoon dawned on the Elemental Nations, the bright, warm light shining on Naruto's tiny body. And unseen by anyone, Naruto's lips trembled and moved, saying his and his guardian's name in a small, unheard breath, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

-BREAK-

Bolstered by the success of her early teaching attempts, she began teaching Naruto more and more words, their names for starters. It is nearly impossible, seeing as how he was barely 2 years old, but never let it be said that Kurumi was not patient. She knew that this would only be the start. He at least needed to know how the words sound before she can teach him, though she might need a while before Naruto can grow enough to properly speak.

The matron appeared once in a while, interrupting the moment between them as she 'fed' Naruto her variant of food. Always thankful to moments like this, she immediately went to work, quickly digesting what foul manner of food the matron gave Naruto immediately. At the very least, he still survives, and that's most important.

Whenever the matron began hitting Naruto, she never faltered, healing him back as best as she could with her powers, making sure every part of him remained intact after her beatings. At the very least, she was very thankful that there was no other terrible injury that Naruto sustained other than the one that sent him towards his mindscape immediately.

And as time goes on, Naruto began looking forward to the times when he would end up in front of Kurumi. The malnourished, injured boy always liked the look and feel of Kurumi, because he knew that she was the only one that would treat him well. He loved the slow strokes of her soft tail, not to mention the fact that she spoke with him kindly, something that he really liked. He began regaining his spirit now, and even the matron's foul food and beatings won't be enough to remove the life he had now.

Naruto reached her cage so often that he could almost reach her cage at will, appearing every time after the matron left. He quickly associated the matron with 'bad person', and always cowered every time she appeared. Kurumi immediately comforted him every time he appeared in front of her, gently embracing his mental representation with her soft fur, letting him calm down and sleep happily, his only sanctuary within the cruel world he ended up in.

After another while, Kurumi added another course to her teaching. A simple, yet very necessary thing: how to walk.

-BREAK-

Once again Naruto appeared in front of her cage after another feeding session from the matron. Kurumi's tail snaked towards him as usual, immediately eliciting a smile on his face and a cheer on his lips. But unknown to him, today was very different. Instead of coiling around his body like they regularly do, the tails wrapped around his arms his arms this time.

"**Naruto,"** Kurumi began explaining to him the current goal of his exercise. **"I need you to stand up and learn how to walk. This is a very important skill for your entire life. This will hurt a little, but it's necessary."** Her eyes quickly squinted shut as her heart clenched in pain. **"I'm sorry. Forgive me."**

Naruto looked at her in confusion. She never did this. What was she planning? "...Umi...?" he questioned slightly, not comprehending her actions. A slow pull caught his attention towards his tiny arms before his eyes quickly saw Kurumi's tails wrapping around his arms. Slowly the tails pulled upwards, lifting his arms towards the dark roof of his mindscape.

"...Umi..." Naruto slowly groaned as he looked straight towards Kurumi, a look of betrayal in his face as his body was slowly pulled by the arms, lifting his body off the surface of the water, the liquid dripping down, the tiny splashes echoing within the massive chambers. His body was forcefully lifted off the water's surface as he bent from his waist, using the muscles that he never used before. Pain shot through his body from his shoulders, his battered body not able to withstand the pulling Kurumi did despite his light weight. "'Umi!" he cried out, tears of pain flowing from his eyes, not expecting this betrayal of his best friend.

"**I'm sorry, Naruto,"** Kurumi apologized again, understanding the massive pain he was in. **"But this is necessary! You must live! And you need to walk if you are to do so!"** Holding back her tears behind a weak facade she tugged his arms once more. Slowly his behind left the water's surface, his unused legs dangling from his body as tears began flowing once more from his eyes.

After a long, agonizing minute to Kurumi, she finally lifted Naruto's body straight. Immediately she lowered him down, letting his bare feet touch the waters. **"Alright Naruto,"** she spoke. **"Try to support your weight with your legs."**

A painful grimace was stuck on his face as his legs trembled, his straining arms taking his entire weight. Kurumi slowly lowered him, letting him put his body weight on his two legs. Yet his atrophied legs immediately lost its hold on the waters, causing him to slip. **"Naruto!"** Kurumi shrieked out, and in a knee-jerk reaction her tails tugged hard, pulling Naruto's already painful arms taut.

"Umi!" came Naruto's painful shriek, a heart wrenching sound within the silent corridors.

"**I'm sorry!"** she quickly cried in response before she brought him down again. **"I'm sorry! But you need this! Try to stand, Naruto! You can do it!"**

Despite his tears, Naruto's foot quickly found purchase on the slippery waters with Kurumi repeating the same process. A tail of hers went towards Naruto's head. Pain shot through her heart as she saw how the struggling Naruto flinched as her tail came closer, nearly brought her to tears. The tail gently caressed the tiny boy's tuft of dirty golden blonde head, trying to calm him down from his struggle.

Naruto's grimacing face slowly calmed down as Kurumi's tails caressed him gently, steadying him down. Despite the pain present, his feet slowly gained a hold on the waters. Gently Kurumi slackened her hold, letting his feet hold his weight. She saw how his feet wobbled and shook as they tried to support Naruto's body with his concentration now diverted towards his legs instead of the pain in his arms as he felt this new sensation in his legs.

Through her tails she felt Naruto's body steadying, having balanced himself on his legs. Slowly her tails let go of Naruto's tiny arms, letting his full weight be supported only by his trembling legs, though her tails hovered close to Naruto in case he fell. And now, she thought, everything is left to his own effort.

For his part, Naruto stood shakily on his own legs, having never stood before. His arms instinctively spread wide beside him as he steadied himself, not wanting to faceplant into the water below. A smile slowly spread on his face as he felt his body on his two legs. The feeling spread quickly through his body, an euphoria unlike any other as he stood shakily on his own legs. But weakness quickly overcame his joints before his legs lost their strength and folded, sending him straight towards the waters.

Or he would be if not for Kurumi quickly catching his body with her tails, already expecting such an outcome as her tails immediately wrapped around Naruto, stopping his fall as she sighed in relief. **"Don't worry, Naruto,"** she said. **"You won't be able to walk properly right now. Try it slowly, then we can go faster,"** she spoke to Naruto.

Yet even from her position, she could feel Naruto's strength as he slowly tugged her tails. His eyes burned with determination as his legs kicked the air hard, his mouth yelling his guardian's name. "'Umi!"

Kurumi's eyes widened as she saw Naruto's stubbornness before her eyes softened. **"Kushina...Minato...your spirits live on in Naruto. He's every bit as stubborn as you were, Kushina, and every bit as smart as Minato was,"** she spoke slowly. **"Watch over us from where you are."**

Slowly she lowered the kicking Naruto on the water again, letting his legs slowly support his weight. But as soon as Kurumi released him he immediately fell on the water. **"Naruto!"** she yelled, not fast enough to catch him.

Yet Naruto weakly pushed his body up from the water's surface, his arms trembling from the exertion. Despite his weak body and lack of strength, it doesn't stop him from trying his hardest to stand up with his own strength, not a single tear falling from his face as he did so. He managed to push himself to a sitting position, legs on the surface of the water as his hands supported his body, trying to stand.

Slowly he moved a leg forward, trying to kneel on the water. With a loud splash his foot stomped the surface of the water. Slowly the leg strained as Naruto pushed himself up. Slowly, steadily his trembling body rose. Higher and higher until his other leg snapped ahead, quickly pushing his body upwards in a burst of speed. Happiness spread through his face as he stood on his own power, his body straight and his arms wide as he turned around and faced Kurumi, a massive smile on his face brightening the dark room with its brilliance. "'Umi!" he yelled in his tiny voice.

Kurumi chuckled as her tails wiped the tears at the corner of her eyes. **"What an energetic boy you are, Naruto,"** she said slowly. **"Nothing can keep you down, it seems."** With a smile on her own face she continued their tutorial. **"Alright, Naruto. Now it's time for you to walk slowly. Put a foot forward slowly, and I'll guide you,"** she spoke, continuing their lesson for the day with Naruto cheerfully following her orders.

-BREAK-

Sarutobi Hiruzen was the Third Hokage, the much vaunted Sandaime, one of the oldest ninjas in existence, said to have been the master of every non-bloodline jutsu within Konoha. He was a master fighter with unparalleled skill and experience, having been in all three of the previous Shinobi World Wars. His name was feared and respected at the same time, his two terms as Hokage showing just how much his people believed in him.

And yet, with all his skill and experience, he never had an answer to his mortal enemy, the one enemy that he absolutely cannot defeat no matter what or how. It came in like a wrecking ball, unstoppable, unrelenting, without mercy, without remorse. Nothing he could do would ever stop this one enemy, the strongest of any he'd fought in his long history.

Paperwork.

Huge stacks of paper piled in front of him on his table, reports from every single component of the massive machine that was Konoha. Every day reports streamed in from the various parts of Konoha. Requisition requests from his ANBU, requesting new equipment to replace their worn out gear. Production reports from the military smiths, the result of the day's production. Mission reports from his ninjas, telling the results and occurrences within the missions they were assigned to. The civilian council's report on their daily activities and meetings. He would read everything before giving the report his Hokage's stamp of acknowledgement, and an 'approved' or 'rejected' result for the requests.

Giving out a tired sigh he stood up from his chair, stretching his old body. Sure, the chair is comfortable, but for someone that had sat in the same chair for hours on end, it still gave kinks on his old bones. His hand reached to his drawer, pulling out his usual favourite: his ornate wooden pipe, something he loved so very much. As he'd done many times before, he stuffed the pipe with his favourite scented tobacco before lighting it up, letting the sweet smoke waft within the room before he turned around towards the windows behind him, giving him a very nice view of the village he loved.

The sun was setting from the sky, bathing the entire village in a beautiful golden hue, a scenic scene that only looked better the higher he was. Another puff of smoke came from his lips as he saw the ninja under his command leap from roof to roof, heading to their destination, something that reminded him of the current situation of his village.

Due to Kurumi's attack, manpower was at an all-time low within Konoha. Immediately after her attack, Sarutobi ordered every ninja in retirement or rest to be deployed, replacing those who'd died. These include those in standby or those whose duty involved patrolling Konoha. Among those in charge of said duty were members of the Konoha Military Police.

The Konoha Military Police was an organization whose main task was to keep peace within Konoha, resolving any crimes perpetrated by its people, be they ninja or civilian. Their members were the Uchiha clan, having been given full authority over the organization as a part of their deal during the formation of Konoha by the Shodai Hokage as was their clan's right.

Being the clan with the least casualties during Kurumi's attack, the men of the Konoha Military Police were taken from their duty to be absorbed into the main force to shore up their faltering manpower. This, combined with the ANBU missions he was forced to assign to his men, made their internal protection weaken, with less men patrolling the insides of Konoha.

This would have weakened other villages from within, but Konoha had contingencies against such an event. A massive detection barrier made of seals, commanded by the Konoha Barrier Division, allowed them to detect any infiltrators coming through the walls or from the sky in the form of a massive chakra barrier around the village through the village's walls. His student Jiraiya's counter intelligence operations outside of Konoha also helped spread false information to the other villages, allowing them to look strong despite the attack of a bijuu. The walls of Konoha, made by the Shodai with his Mokuton, were very tough walls that were alive, allowing them to heal themselves just by absorbing nutrients from the earth, a feat no one else could copy.

He sighed out, blowing a cloud of smoke from his wrinkled lips. The lack of manpower also made him unable to assign guards to Naruto, and Kurumi's attack damaged the special crystal ball that he once used to monitor any part of Konoha, preventing him from knowing his current situation. Yet in his mind, he knew that Naruto would live just fine. The matron that took him in was a kind soul, and she will take care of him just fine, he reasoned with a small smile.

How much would it hurt him when he found out how mistaken his trust was.

His short break was interrupted by a small voice behind him, causing him to turn around and look towards this person interrupting his small break only to meet the ANBU agent Dog, standing still with his mask on in the usual ANBU garbs, the skintight black shirt with a flak jacket covering it and a short tanto behind him tied at his waist. "Hokage-sama," he spoke softly, his voice muffled and distorted from the mask.

"Dog," the Sandaime replied. "Report."

"Mission successful," he answered steadily. "Spying mission to Lightning Country successful." He took a scroll from within the weapons pouch at his back. "This is my mission report together with the intel I gathered." He slowly placed the scroll on his table, making sure not to touch the towering stacks of paper. Only god knows what would happen if he were to cause the fall of the towering stacks of paperwork.

"Good," he said as he sat down, his pipe in his hand. "For your completion of this long-term mission, you'll be retired from ANBU-"

"No," Kakashi quickly rejected.

"What?"

"Let me be in service to the ANBU, Hokage-sama," he quickly spoke.

"Kakashi, you've been in service for so long," Hiruzen spoke, trying to comfort the ANBU. "Most only stayed in service for a short while. You are one of my most valuable men, Kakashi. Putting you in service for too long risks your psychological health."

"Hokage-sama," he began. "This place...It's still too painful for me," he spoke. "I'll need some more time before I can be of full service to it. My loyalty is with Konoha forever, my lord, but it pains me to be here right now."

Hiruzen sighed. "Alright. One more long-term mission, and you will be retired and return to the rank of Jounin to Konoha."

"I cannot ask for more, Hokage-sama," Dog spoke with a bow.

Hiruzen stood up and grabbed a single paper among the massive pile on his table. "Here's a mission for you," he said as he passed the paper to Dog. "To guard the daughter of the Daimyo of Snow Country, Koyuki Kazahana. The Daimyo himself requested this mission. This is an S-rank mission and will take you 3 years. I will require reports every month from you. You'll have a week of rest before going on this mission."

"Your will be done, Hokage-sama," Kakashi spoke with a bow before disappearing in a swirl of floating leaves, a small whoosh blowing through the room as he did so. Sarutobi sighed as he sat down, his mind pondering the boy he just met with. He really loved his teacher. His elbow touched one of the piles of paperwork on his desk accidentally, making them wobble dangerously as he looked at it in fear, his face paling as he saw this terrifying sight.

"Thank you for reminding me of this massive amount of work," he sighed loudly before he picked up his pen and the closest document to him before his aged eyes began reading the document.

A Hokage's work was never done, it seems.

-BREAK-

In a short while, Naruto had already learned to walk thanks to Kurumi's teachings. During night time, when the orphanage was asleep, he woke up from his training session and slowly walked around his cage, being urged by Kurumi's voice echoing in his head. He may not be able to understand her as of yet, but he knew what she wanted him to do. Every morning he quickly stopped his walks, lying down in his usual pose, on the ground with his cheerful smile hidden from them.

Seeing how receptive Naruto was towards her teaching, she began having him do exercises to strengthen his body and train his muscles, making sure they were strong enough for everything he needed in the future. Just like how she taught him how to walk, she wrapped her tails around his limbs and guided him to move them in ways he never knew. And after her tutorial on walking, he knew better now, instinctively following the movements she moved his body through before performing the same movements during the night in silence.

He continued the same routine for months, silently building up his body and strengthening it, using his five senses – enhanced from Kurumi's presence within him – to ensure that no one was up and around as he trained his body, only stopping when the morning came. It does not take long before Naruto's energetic nature shone as he silently but quickly tiptoed within his tiny room, a bright smile on his face as he moved his body.

Unbeknownst to him, almost everything in his body was supported by youki. His cells and organs, having been repeatedly damaged by the beatings he went through, were only held together by Kurumi's youki and prayers. Even his growth was nothing more than her youki building him up. It miraculously worked, possibly due to the same reason her father considered her powers the most special amongst her siblings.

And it all finally came to a head, one stormy day.

-CHAPTER ENDS-

Read and review please.


	4. Chapter 3: Creation of a Legend 2

Nope, I got nothing. Please read or flame, whichever floats your boat. I'm fine with any. As usual, thanks to all my beta reader as stated in chapter 1.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: Despite his terrible life, Kurumi managed to teach Naruto how to walk and speak within his mindscape. The matron, meanwhile, decided to go physical on his tiny body, not caring at all about him.

CHAPTER 3: CREATION OF A LEGEND 2

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

It was a dark and stormy night, one that perfectly mirrored the emotions and thoughts running within the aged matron as she sat at the windowsill of the orphanage's kitchen. Her eyes stared a mighty distance outside the open window, the slight raindrops falling on her not bothering her. A small saucer was visible in her hand. The smell of alcohol hung heavy within the kitchen, a sign that she had been drinking. If light was present, one could see that she had a dark blush on her aged cheeks, a sure sign that she was drunk.

She looked at the dark, cloudy sky, the heavy rain around her acting as soothing music to her troubled heart. Tonight was a special day for her. Tonight was the night of her son's birthday. Before, her son would take her out for some dinner at a fancy restaurant somewhere within Konoha, where he would always invite her to stay at his home and to leave the orphanage to those younger. And as always, she would reject him, and told him that taking care of orphans were her calling. And as usual, he'll sigh, telling her how much of a stubborn old goat she was. And she would just smile, knowing that he meant no insult in those words.

But not this year, or the year before. This year, she was alone in the orphanage, with no one around to talk to. No one called her out today for a good meal. Only her, and the nearly empty bottle of sake she had in her hand, the finest from Rice Country. She poured another saucer full of the spirit, and quickly dunked it, feeling the burn the alcohol did as it passed through her throat.

"Why... why do I have to... to care for that demon?" she slurred, her mind thinking towards the demon within her orphanage. "It shhhhould jush die!" she hiccupped, her voice drowned within the heavy rain that fell on her roof. "It killed... killed my shhon!"

Within her drunk mind, she thought back of the demon in human form she cared for. "Why dishn't it die?" she questioned herself. "I... I gave it lotsh!" She fed it some of the foulest thing she had, and even beaten the tiny demon. Yet it still lived, almost as if her actions had no effect. "It... It shhhhud die!" As time passed, the thought of just killing the demon grew even more appealing to her.

She stumbled away from the windowsill, one hand still clutching the ceramic bottle of sake with the other holding the saucer. She wobbled towards the back door of the kitchen before kicking it hard. The door swung open at the same instant thunder flashed on the sky, the intense boom of if it becoming the background music to her actions. With another loud kick, she smashed the door to Naruto's little torture chamber, the heavy rain following her entry into the small room.

Naruto was tottering on his tiny legs, trying his best to practice walking within the small room in secret. Kurumi should be able to detect the thick smell of liquor and her loud movements, yet the torrential rain and Naruto's valiant and successful effort at trying to walk deadened Naruto's – and consequently her – senses.

And they were caught completely unaware as the matron smashed through the door, revealing her drunk, soaking wet figure to the surprised Naruto who immediately met her stare with his own baby eyes. She strode within the shack, slow and wobbly yet purposeful. Naruto could only stand rooted where he was, not able to react to the presence of the 'bad person' within his small shack.

"You..." she slurred as she saw Naruto's standing figure. And in the blink of an eye, her hand swung downwards. The massive bottle of sake smashed on little Naruto's head, breaking it into a thousand pieces as the force of the blow sent Naruto to the ground, a loud cry of pain escaping his lips. His scalp was torn from the powerful blow, his blood flowing within the tiny room as he slumped on the ground wordlessly.

"**NOOOOOOOOOOO!" **Kurumi screamed from within as she saw the drunk matron smash the huge bottle on Naruto's face. Needing no further prompting, her powers explode from her into Naruto's system as she quickly began fixing Naruto's immense injuries.

"DEMON!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as another bolt of thunder erupted at the sky, shining on her maniacal face. Quickly she swung her leg, kicking the tiny boy into the wooden wall of the shack, his back nearly tore open from her kick. "BRING ME BACK MY SON!" Again and again she stomped on Naruto's body, nothing in her mind but to hurt the demon as bad as she can.

"**STOP! PLEASE STOP!"** Kurumi pleaded within him, her tears flowing into the muck that was Naruto's mindscape. **"PLEASE SOMEONE, STOP HER!" **Yet her pleading went unnoticed within the massive thunderstorm. Even as she pleaded, she does not sit idle, her powers already circulating within Naruto's chakra coil to heal him. **"Broken ribs, torn muscles, ruptured organs..."** she whispered to herself as her powers diagnosed the condition of Naruto's body on the fly, forcing her to immediately apply her power towards the areas needing critical attention. **"Please, someone, stop her..."** she begged still, her tears falling nonstop from the terrible pain Naruto went through.

The matron continued her beating, oblivious to her pleading cries. Again and again she stomped on Naruto's broken body, tears of anguish pouring from her eyes. "Gibe me back my shhhhon! Gib him back to me!" she howled, her drunkenness further fuelling her madness. Another kick landed on Naruto's tiny body, once again sending him flying towards the wall, the sound of his body hitting the wall muffled by the raging storm outside the hut.

"**HE WON'T COME BACK!"** she screamed futilely within Naruto, her tears falling without any sign of slowing down even as she laboured hard to restore Naruto's body. **"EVEN IF YOU KILL NARUTO, YOUR SON WON'T COME BACK!"** her pleading cries echo within the dark expanse of NAruto's mindscape, known only to her. **"It's my fault... IT'S MY FAULT! DONT DRAG NARUTO INTO THIS! PUNISH ME! NOT HIM!"**

She finally stopped her cruel beating and took a step back on the drenched ground, panting hard from the exertion. She looked at her resulting carnage with a certain satisfaction to her. At the other edge of the room lay Naruto's broken, battered body, his blood spattered across the wet room from her terrible beating. The baby lay unmoving, not a shred of consciousness within him. The matron's tears still flowed as she left Naruto's dead body where he was. She quickly turned around before she spat on Naruto's body, a final act of cruelty on his fragile body before she finally left, the wooden door slamming behind her.

Kurumi never stopped healing even as she glared at the matron from within Naruto. Her powers circulated around Naruto's chakra coils, reaching towards every part of his battered body. **"Hang on, Naruto! I'll save you!"** She need not say it, for her powers had already circulated within his body, stimulating and mending the injuries together, making sure that everything within his body was properly patched together.

But there's something strange, something that confused her. Usually, her power flowed smoothly within his chakra system, ensuring that she could heal him no matter the injury. Unlike before though, the flow felt sluggish and slow, almost as if there's a resistance that prevented it from moving. She pondered this issue for a while even as she compensated for the dammed flow, guiding what remains of her power.

She barely had the time to think about the mysterious issue with the chakra flow when Naruto's prone body suddenly jerked as taut as a drawn bowstring. His entire body convulsed straight as his mouth opened wide, a wordless scream of pain tore through his entire body, the deathly shriek drowned by the raging storm outside.

Kurumi's powers immediately reported to her of this occurrence, quickly reminding her of a disease named Tetanus. Yet she knew that she killed foreign bacteria and dissolved any chemicals that even had a change of affecting Naruto. Then why was he having this tetanus-like attack?! Quickly she mobilised more of her power, spreading within his body to check his condition, her youki the only thing that prevented his death.

A powerful wave of force blew out of nowhere within the darkness of Naruto's mindscape, blowing out all the flickering candles that provided what meagre light within the mindscape, drowning Kurumi in utter darkness so black she cannot even see her hand even with her enhanced senses. But what terrified her most was that her power was mysteriously blocked from spreading out. Fortunately, she still had a smidgen of her power outside her cage, still within Naruto. She immediately attempted controlling the small pockets of power that was still available within Naruto's body and used what was not at a lethal injury to analyze the condition of Naruto's body.

And what she found out was more horrifying than she could ever predict.

A massive corruption was spreading throughout his chakra coil beginning from his chakra core, right where chakra was moulded and made. The spreading corruption nearly burned the entirety of Naruto's chakra core, almost entirely destroying his ability to produce chakra to survive. And without it, she saw how parts of his body began breaking down, the very energy it needed to survive destroyed.

Nearly every part of Naruto's body was held by youki, slightly laced with his own chakra that was pulled together with the youki to ensure compatibility and lack of rejection. And as Naruto's chakra core began burning out, his natural chakra began fading out into nothingness, causing the tissues to quickly break down, her corrosive youki eating through them.

"**NOOOOOO!"** she screamed out at the top of her lungs. Immediately she pulled back every single strand of youki that she had within Naruto's body, diverting them towards the location where his chakra was the strongest now that his chakra core was damaged. With each single flow of her youki within his chakra network, she could feel them slowly tear on his coils, wearing them down greatly. Only her intense control made her succeed at transferring all the chakra towards the most intense location of chakra: The Gate of Death of the Eight Inner Gates, right at his heart. Even so, she could already observe his heart began breaking down, having barely enough chakra to prevent the damage from her youki. Her efforts bore fruit as she saw how the damage at his chakra system slowed down, though the damage that was repaired before remained and only getting worse as the parts lost the very material that made them hold together in the first place.

Her entire effort to keep Naruto alive never looked more worthless than it was now.

"**WHYYYY?!"** she screamed to the infinite darkness. Immediately she recalled something that Mito once taught her before regarding the nature of youki. It is corrosive by nature, and for a jinchuuriki to use the power of the Bijuu sealed within them properly, they need a huge amount of safeguards. And most jinchuuriki were made when they're young because only they had the ability to adapt to the powerful youki. Mito was capable of sealing Kurumi even when she was relatively old because she is an Uzumaki who naturally had a stronger chakra that can counter the effects of her youki, and because she had a huge amount of safeguards to ensure her safety.

Naruto meanwhile, was too young to fully adapt to the huge amount of corrosive chakra flowing within him on a daily basis, had too little chakra to reduce the effect of her youki, and his seal lacked the same safeguards that was used on Mito because Kurumi was his parents' friend. All of this overloaded his chakra core, and it's a testament to the Uzumaki blood's legendary life force that allowed him to survive nearly two years in such a way.

Yet everything had its limits, and Kurumi flooding his body with so much youki was the last straw.

She was speechless as the facts lined up within her mind, finally realising the reason for Naruto's terrible injury just now, only compounded by the matron's drunken beating. Kurumi was shaken to her very core, for it was her own goodwill that nearly tore Naruto's body apart.

Yet she knew that it was not the time to whine and moan, for she needed to find a solution to the problem, and she needed it fast. She estimated that she had barely hours before Naruto's chakra core fully disintegrates, killing him. Right now, at the very least, most of his tenketsu around his navel where the chakra core was located was already compromised, so she cannot supply any more youki if she needed to.

She only had a relatively small amount to work with, and she needed to fix his chakra network fast.

Her tears haven't stopped nor did they slow down, but she knew she needed to be quick about it. He was the last surviving Uzumaki and Namikaze clan member, a daughter of her best friend, and most importantly, her atonement. If she had to sacrifice her life to save him, then so be it!

She ran through everything about chakra coil damage in humans that she learned from Hashirama all those years ago. If one's chakra coil was burned out, the main method of healing was to let the injured rest, allowing his own chakra to clear the blockade within his system, and to allow his chakra to stimulate and heal the coils themselves. But chakra core damage is harder to heal. It requires a small amount of chakra injection to the coil periodically to stimulate their production and control functions, while also allowing the patient's own chakra that's still remaining to slowly heal the core as well. Basically, the patient needs a small amount of chakra injection constantly and lots of time.

Both of which Naruto does not have.

She nearly went into panic mode at this realisation. How can she help heal Naruto? She was within his chakra core, so any damage to his core would mean that she was also unable to help him. Naruto's body was already breaking apart, so he had no time to lose. Every second counts, and she does not even had the slightest idea on how to fix his body.

A small drop of idea struck her mind. What if she were to make a new chakra core for him? She immediately dismissed the idea, labelling it as ridiculous. How can she make a new chakra core? But as she thought of other ways to save Naruto, again and again her mind wandered back towards the ridiculous idea. She had no other way of saving him, and this was the only idea that came to her mind.

But will it work? As ridiculous as the idea sounds like, she had no other way to save him, and there were no other methods available for him. It was almost impossible for him to be saved now unless if someone were to found Naruto right now and realise his chakra damage. The more she thought about it, the more appealing she thought the idea was. Being a creature made of chakra, she understood more about chakra than anyone alive. Not to mention the fact that she knew Naruto's body inside and out right now.

Having seen no other path to Naruto's recovery, she began to think of how to implement the new chakra core. It must meld together within his very genes, so that it will not induce an autoimmune rejection response. She also needed some materials to make it, and the only thing that came to mind was to slightly thin down Naruto's muscles to gain the materials. Other than that, her youki will also be used to form and shape the new organ and making sure that it perfectly works in controlling, producing, and compressing his chakra.

She would also need a second organ, one that will save the stem cells for every other organs and functions within Naruto to act as a pseudo reset button in case she failed. It needs to store and monitor his body, making sure everything is working perfectly. If it does not, she can heal or restore the problematic parts based on the samples it had within it. She may not be able to stop Naruto's chakra core from being burned with it, but at least she might be able to make sure he lives.

It will be a first in the world. Unprecedented, untested and unproven. And only within her mind did it exist.

Slowly she closed her eyes. In her mind, she imagined the structure of the two new organs, how they would integrate with his body, and how they would work. Multitudes of shapes and ideas floated within her head. The sound of the heavy storm acting as the thunderous background music to the turmoil she was in right now. And finally, after what seemed like years of brainstorming to her, she managed to figure out everything – or at least, everything she can think of. She will have to ad lib something up in case of any issues little Naruto might experience.

"**Naruto, I'm sorry,"** she whispered towards the unconscious Naruto. **"I have no other way to heal you, and only this can fix you up. I'll make sure that you survive to the future, both as my duty, and as my punishment. So please, forgive me this."** And as she finished, she closed her eyes, preparing to control her power. Even detached from her, she still had control over it, though the further the power was from her, the worse her control was. But as close as within Naruto's body was not an issue with her.

Her eyes closed shut as she concentrated her every thought towards the small amount of power still remaining at Naruto's heart before splitting it into three; one to make the new chakra core, and the other two to create the stem cell storage. She believed that having two of the latter would be better since one can support the other in case it was damaged for any reason. Through Naruto's chakra system the three small blobs of youki moved before they rest at their destination: at his throat and below his ribs for the two stem cell storage, and beside his heart for the new chakra core.

Not wanting to aggravate Naruto's chakra system further, she quickly went to work, her youki eroding the areas nonlethal to Naruto before dragging it towards the location of the new organs. The materials coalesced into blobs each, and with her mind and imagination she moulded and formed the tiny materials, her powers in action as she modified the blobs of flesh into the new organs she needed. And at the very instant her powers flowed within his body, the deterioration of his chakra system began even faster.

Yet Kurumi was as calm and collected as she could possibly be, slowly guiding her powers to create the necessary functions for Naruto, for she knew that her failure would mean a dead Naruto. And that was enough of a reason for her to concentrate everything she had towards the creation of the new organs. She will not mess this up!

It took nearly half an hour, a time that seemed like eternity for her before she finally finished forming the organs. But she knew that forming the organs was only the first step. Now, she needed to link them towards Naruto's body, ensuring that they will function properly without any issues.

Her power stretched towards the closest major blood vessels to the new organs before she made new blood vessels and capillaries, stretching to and from the closest arteries and veins towards the new organs, ensuring their operations. Within a few short moments she finished and felt blood circulating within the tiny organs as Naruto's heart pumped fresh blood towards them, relief clear in her mind as she felt the oxygen exchange taking place within the new organs.

Risking major damage to Naruto's chakra system she spread her power through his entire body. One part of her power took cell samples to be stored within the stem cell storage, while another part of it tore through Naruto's chakra system deliberately before she began constructing a new bridge connecting the new chakra core to the previous system.

It does not take long for her to finish gathering the cell samples. After they were successfully stored within the new organs, she set her sights on a different place, the most dangerous of all location within the body to modify: the brain. Part of her power went towards his brain as the other painstakingly created the new chakra pathways for the new chakra core; something that cannot be done in a haste. She knew she was risking permanent damage to Naruto's chakra system, but this was the only way for her to rescue him.

Her power slowly covered Naruto's brain as she looked for the most major change: to fit in the new organs within his body. A part of the brain within the medulla oblongata controls subconscious chakra generation; she knew this fact. She just needed the part to register the new chakra core as something that can generate new chakra, which was easier said than done.

Another hour passed, and Naruto's chakra core was very nearing full collapse now. She estimated that she would only have about two hours at best before the main chakra core completely burns out. But she finally managed to make Naruto's body accept the new organs, and to have the brain control the chakra generation by the new organ. It was not easy, but she succeeded. And as the catalyst for chakra generation, she pushed the last remains of her power towards the new chakra core, modified to be able to accept and regulate youki as well instead of just regular chakra before filtering the youki to regular chakra given enough time.

Or at least, that was what she planned for it. A minute, then two, then it stretched to five, yet no chakra came from Naruto's supposedly new chakra core. Worry slowly began settling in her as she noticed the lack of chakra production from the new organ. She moved small pockets of her power, risking more damage to his chakra system. She could only cringe in fear as she felt how Naruto's chakra system began breaking down, yet she knew she needed to do so.

She read the condition of Naruto's body together with the new organ using what remained of her youki outside Naruto's damaged chakra core, slowly muttering the status of the new organ. **"All blood vessels are working, and oxygen exchange is in perfect order... Chakra network eroded, but connected to the new organ... But why is it not working?!"** she yelled to herself. She did everything right! It should work by now! Why haven't it?!

In a last ditch attempt, she removed every single shred of youki she had at Naruto's new chakra core, gathering them at the stem cell pockets. The new packets worked, something that slightly relieved her, yet she knew that until Naruto's chakra began flowing in earnest, his life was still in danger. She monitored the condition of his body using the slight remains of her youki everywhere within his body.

Slowly she saw as Naruto's own chakra flowed within the new chakra core, circulating within the small fleshy blob. Her heart soared as she saw the human chakra flowing into the new core, hoping that it would be the catalyst needed. Yet nothing happened. Chakra flowed and was consumed by the new organ somehow, but nothing came out. Not even a small trickle. Her heart sank deeper than the ocean floor as she saw how Naruto's chakra core began deteriorating, slowly destroying itself from the lack of his own powers within it.

"**NO! NARUTO! DON'T DIE!"** she screamed out as loud as possible. She knew that more than anything, one's own will to live played a very important role in chakra generation. **"PLEASE! LIVE!"** she screamed out once more, hoping that he would hear her. **"WAKE UP! PLEASE!"** her heartrending screams of pain tore through the darkness of his mindscape. **"Please..."** she crumpled on the wet floor of the sewer, her body impacting the water with a loud splash, the wake of her fall creating ripples, infinitely echoing within the dank sewers. **"Please... Don't leave me alone..."** she continued, her voice no more than a whisper as her tears fell into the waters.

She had lost everything; her good friends, her teachers, her father, even her siblings as they lost themselves within the throes of the Juubi's maddening powers. And with Naruto gone, she would be completely alone in the world, with no one to help her, or to befriend her. She would lose everything, even her sanity as she forgot the words of her father and his teachings. She would end up being nothing but a beast, living immortal only to destroy and to kill.

A small pulse throbbed from within Naruto, causing Kurumi to look up from her prone position. Immediately she stood up to her full height, her eyes closed. Her powers quickly provided her with a diagnostic detail of his body. And she saw as the small blob of chakra pulsed like a heart. Slowly, chakra swirled within it from what's left within his body. And she saw how the chakra that went in exited again, but with an infinitesimally small addition to it.

And she immediately knew, then and there, that she had succeeded.

She released the breath she never knew she held as she saw the organ working as she originally planned, generating minute amounts of chakra just enough to ensure Naruto's body to heal itself. She quickly slumped on the flooded floor of her cage, mental exhaustion taking over her body as she finished with Naruto's modification. **"I hate this power..."** she whispered. It was too powerful. It's almost godly, what she can do with it. Only today, at a host that haven't adapted to the sheer potency of her youki did she found an issue with it. Previously, Mito can even heal major damages with it, even an arm that was almost torn off. It's madness, that's what it is.

Yet she was also thankful to the power, for Naruto would never survive if not for it. **"At least his convulsions stopped..."** she said as she observed Naruto's status with her mind's eye, observing how his body finally relaxed. And she swore to herself at that point, that if she had to use the power she loathed if it ensured his survival, then so be it.

He was her on only chance at redemption, and he needed to survive for that.

"**And now, time to wait..."** she whispered to herself again as she laid down on the wet floor, her remaining power monitoring Naruto's status as best as she could, the raging storm outside the only sound accompanying her.

-BREAK-

Hours passed by after her 'operation', the tropical storm already a bad memory within everyone's mind by that time as the light of the daybreak sun began shining at the horizon, a sight to behold to anyone who's up to see it. Yet it wasn't even given a passing thought by Kurumi, her main focus being Naruto's wellbeing. Much to her relief, the new organs worked wonders to Naruto's recovery. The chakra core produced and regulated chakra as she wanted it to, slowly producing more to fill in the lack of chakra Naruto had before. His original chakra core has stopped its lethal deterioration, already having his human chakra flowing through it, allowing it to recover as his secondary chakra core regulated and produced the chakra he needed to live.

The other organ also worked wonders, having already stored the stem cells of his other organs and quickly producing new ones to heal the parts of his body that was injured from last night's drunken beating by the mad matron. She usually beat him with that stick of hers, but it was never this bad! His body was healing slower than she wanted, but that's fine with her. She won't want to risk more damage to his recovering chakra system by having her youki accelerate his recovery. From the way he was progressing though, his chakra will have recovered fully by the day's end. And when he's recovered, she can let her youki flow again, letting his chakra intermingle with her powers more instead of flooding his chakra pathways like she did before.

"**Hmm... I think I need a name for those new organs..."** she thought. She had just created new organs to help heal his body, so she needed to name them. **"Hmm... Maybe... the Linker Core for the new chakra core, and the Progenoid Glands for the stem cell storage and recovery? Sounds like good names..."** she thought, ideas suddenly flowing within her mind out of nowhere.

Quickly she shook her head. She had bigger issues to think of than silly names for the organs as she monitored Naruto's condition. (Though she admitted they sound pretty cool...) The Linker Core (**'That's a pretty cool name...'** she thought, a small blush at her own self-praise on her face.) A minute amount of youki was spread all over Naruto's body for her to use in monitoring his condition, so small it does not interfere within his healing chakra system.

She was confused as to why Naruto haven't woken up yet. Even through everything he went through, he would wake up as soon as he was healed. She blamed the lack of his chakra within his body for his lack of consciousness. Her youki had finally spread around Naruto's body at an intensity that won't bother his recovering chakra system too much. Immediately she observed everything within his body with her mind's eye.

And what she found out was more terrifying than she could ever imagine.

His bones were broken; some of the shards even piercing his organs. But that was not her biggest worry. His entire body was breaking down at a cellular level, with nearly all his tissues and bodily functions breaking down. The presence of her youki helped jumpstart their healing, yet she saw that it was too slow in comparison to the breakdown of his bodily functions. Even now, his blood pressure was dropping badly, a result of his damaged heart.

"**NARUTO!" **she screamed out immediately as the terrifying reality of Naruto's condition finally made itself known to her. Her first reaction was to quickly spread her youki to heal him, only to stop just in time as she recalled the damage his chakra coils were suffering. If she were to spread her youki and heal him at the same intensity as she did before, she would quickly overwhelm the new Linker Core's chakra production, killing him as he lost the very power that made him live.

Yet she knew she cannot ignore the damage. Her examinations of his body told her that he would die very, very quickly as his entire body broke down, having lost the very youki that supported and made it grow before with Naruto's chakra core breakdown. The healing was accelerated by the presence of her youki, she knew, yet the rate of deterioration was worse than the rate of recovery. No matter what, he would die. If the matron didn't do anything, then he would die by the end of the week at best.

Kurumi was panicking by now as she ran around within her cage, massive splashes of filthy water heard within the dark space. **"What should I do? What should I do?! Someone, help me!"** she yelled out within the infinite darkness that was the top of Naruto's mindscape. She never stopped running in circles as every avenue of rescue she had for little Naruto was utterly blocked, and his death never looked closer than it was now. **"Father... Mito... Kushina... Please, help me, anyone..."** she whispered, her head already slumping down in defeat. This was it. For her, and for Naruto.

But she jerked back up as an idea struck her mind. What if, just like his chakra core and that new organ, she made new ones to help him with his recovery?

Her teeth crackled as she gnawed on her long claws, her nervousness at the thought something even Naruto could see. She may have promised that she would do anything to save him, but modifying his body again? Should she? It was already a huge change to how a human should work, and making them temporary was not an option. It needs to meld with Naruto's body, both for today and for his future.

A loud smack echoed within the dark mindscape as she smacked her face. **"Keep yourself together!" **she yelled, more to psyche herself up. **"Naruto must survive! He must, no matter what!"** and she had already promised to herself that he would survive, no matter what! Even if she had to rely on her repulsive power, then she must!

But for now, she needed to stop Naruto's deteriorating body from breaking down even faster. And with a quick examination, she found out an oddity; something she could take advantage of to help him. The places where his tissues corrode was only where it touched other damaged tissues. With precision born of practice and knowledge, she sent a microscopic amount of youki to those parts, quickly using it as scalpels to cut them off without affecting the functionality as her youki accelerated the healing of the remaining tissues.

She carried the damaged tissues within his bloodstream, once again carrying them to different locations for her to create new organs for Naruto. **"Let's see..."** she whispered, her mind quickly running through the issues he was facing. **"Low blood pressure, damaged tissues, and broken, unhealed bones..."** Her ideas were mad, even by her standard, but she knew he needed these.

Her youki may not make the damaged tissues heal themselves back to their actual strength or functions, but what she can do with them would be more than enough right now. Her youki corroded the damaged tissues further before finally ending up with a sort of biological slush, contained within his bloodstream and carefully isolated by an extremely thin mixture of chakra and youki so that her youki won't contaminate his chakra system again.

And with the same mixture, she split them into parts which went around his comatose body as she prepared to once again work her magic. This time though, she used a mixture of youki and chakra, his chakra manipulated by her youki into the would-be organs to prevent any rejection or any breakdown like it did before with pure youki. Thankfully, the second chakra core – the Linker Core, she reminded herself – quickly adapted, increasing its small chakra production slightly higher to compensate for what she took away.

Having had experience with it, she did not take long to mould the tiny flesh slush into different organs, all meant to help Naruto. One was located right beside his heart, which was to be a Secondary Heart to help his blood circulation and make sure he had a good amount of oxygenated blood within his system. Another would be something called the Biscopea (**"I sure can come up with some good names,"** she boasted to herself...), an organ that would help heal and recover Naruto's body tissues and strengthen his muscular system, allowing him to take more punishment than a regular person just in case something similar happened again. The third was the Ossmodula (**"Where did these names came from...?"** she wondered all of a sudden...), an organ that will help heal and strengthen his skeletal structure, preventing them from breaking easily even with his young age. Another organ was the Sus-An Membrane (**"For **_**Sus**_**pended **_**An**_**imation, get it...?"** she giggled as she talked to herself...), one layer over the brain that would help send him in an artificial coma so that he can easily be healed by his body or by someone else.

So focused was her at the construction and formation of the organs that she failed to realise that the matron had stood over Naruto, a bowl of 'food' once more in her hand with her usual stick in the other, hate filling her eyes as she glared towards Naruto's body on the ground. "So you didn't die..." she slowly whispered. She may not recall completely what she did last night as she was drunk, but she knew enough to know. Not to mention the pieces of the broken ceramic sake bottle still all over the small room. Her hand moved, spilling the contents messily on Naruto's tiny body. 'Must be some demon magicks that helped him survive,' she thought. 'No matter. You will be here for a long time, and I will have many more chance to... use your demon magicks.' And unlike the previous days, she didn't hit him with the stick and just turned around, a small disgusted scoff coming from her as she did.

A small saving grace for the modified little Naruto.

She slowly walked towards the kitchen of her orphanage, but a sound from the side of the building stopped her, causing her to walk towards the source of the sound. As she did, the noises grew louder, before loud whispers were heard from the same location. With a single leap she landed right in front of the source of the noises, which, unsurprisingly, were her orphan charges. "Kids," she stood in front of the fallen kids, hands on her waist with the punishing stick in another. "What are you doing?"

"We, uh..." a boy started to say, yet his eyes darted everywhere but towards her as nervous sweat began dripping down his brow. "We want to play!"

"Yeah!" the bunch of kids chorused together, joining the boy's quickly made up reasoning.

She just shook her head at the kids with a smile on her face. "It's not good trying to lie to me, kids. Now, what were you looking at just now?"

"We, uh..." in the end, the boy deflated, knowing that it's useless to lie to his foster mother. "We were just looking at you. Mion told us you kept a demon here," came his reply, an indignant "Hey!" coming from Mion at the edge of the bunch. "She said that you were... protecting us from it."

"You should learn to keep secrets better, Mion," she chastised, causing Mion to puff her cheeks, a blush on them. "But she is correct," she replied, quickly going into serious mode as she stared at the kids. "In that hut there is a demon, and it is bad. Very bad. It hurt many people before, and you must not come close." She lifted the stick she wielded, showing it to the gaping kids. "This is my weapon to... pacify it. You must not touch it or use it, understand? And you must not speak of it at all. Let me protect all of you."

She smiled as she watched the kids all nod as one, knowing that she meant business as she did. "Now go. I'll prepare breakfast for all of us." And only with those words, all the kids rushed back towards the orphanage's building, cheers and yells of happiness in their wake. As they did, she shot one last glare towards the small hut which contained Naruto. "As long as you are under my watch, I won't let you come close to anyone. You will remain there, until I had enough of you." Having said her 'farewell', she followed the kids' steps, heading towards the kitchen.

Hours passed quickly afterwards as Kurumi focused her everything on modifying Naruto's body to allow him to survive another day at the orphanage. She nearly ran out of nutrients to enrich and enhance his body, but she managed to feel the matron's usual food dumping and quickly took the chance to digest and absorb the food, allowing her to focus on creating said new organs in Naruto's body.

The organs were complete, and all of them are working as they should be. Naruto's pale body quickly gained some much healthier colour as his blood pressure and flow rate increased thanks to the Secondary Heart, though still nowhere near being completely healthy. The Sus-An Membrane worked near instantly, keeping Naruto's body comatose, allowing her to monitor his condition easily and healing whatever's needed. His brain had been modified, allowing it to control the organs.

The other new organs are working well too, with the Progenoid Glands storing the stem cells of the new organs and making sure every part of him was working properly. Both the Biscopea and Ossmodula had begun secreting the necessary biochemicals to enhance his muscles and bones. She knew the enhancements might not be instantaneous, but at least he will survive better now. Even his Linker Core functioned perfectly, regulating his chakra properly despite her youki flowing together.

His original chakra core had healed nicely thanks to the chakra produced by the Linker Core. His chakra, ever so strong thanks to his Uzumaki blood was nearly completely filled, and this was probably what accelerated his chakra core's recovery. This also allowed Kurumi to absorb the external nutrients properly, no longer doing any damage to his body with her youki thanks to the human chakra lacing within the thin youki strands she always controlled.

Yet she knew it was not enough. She might just cause the same issue again, tearing his young body apart due to her youki. The only reason that she could freely manipulate his chakra was from his comatose state. If not, the human's conscious would automatically cause his chakra to reject the control her youki had over it, something she discovered when Mito experimented with her youki all those time ago.

He needs to be able to heal from injuries quickly, and become able to act on his own.

Her mind quickly calculated and planned for a third round of organ enhancements, organs that can accelerate his healing and allow him to survive far longer than a regular human. Two ideas quickly came to mind. One was an organ that will generate special cells like the human's immune system T-cells, but can also help heal wounds and was supercharged, allowing him to survive diseases others couldn't. The second would be something that changes his blood composition, allowing his blood to carry more nutrients and oxygen better to the entire body.

The first was named the Larraman's Organ which creates the Larraman's Cells, and the second was the Haemastamen.

Once again with a sigh and a sad frown on her lips, she moulded her powers, ready to perform the new modifications once more. **"I'm sorry, Naruto..."** she whispered towards the unconscious Naruto. **"No one should go through something like this..."** Droplets of tears fell into the dark waters of the scarcely illuminated mindscape as her powers flooded the mindscape once more, bathing everything in a blood red glow.

-BREAK-

It has been three days from the fated day where Naruto's body need to be modified. Kurumi watched his unconscious mental representative within his mindscape with fear in her eyes, since he haven't woken up yet. She knew that everything about his body was fine. Her enhancements were all functioning perfectly, and all of his body's systems were functioning perfectly, both new and old. Even the Sus-An Membrane had stopped putting Naruto in a coma, and his bodily functions are working as strong as ever.

Yet, return to consciousness, he had not.

"**Naruto...?"** Kurumi whispered towards the body in front of her. **"Naruto...? Wake up, please. Don't play with me like this..."** her tails slowly snaked past the massive bars and reached Naruto's prone body. She gave him a gentle nudge, trying to physically wake him up. **"Naruto...? Wake up, please," **she begged, her tails nudging his body again and again.

"**Naruto..." **Kurumi cried out as she fell on the wet floor, her tears falling nonstop. He could not break out of his coma, and it was all her fault. Her desperate modifications must have toyed too much with his brain, permanently putting him in a coma. He was a vegetable now, an invalid, not alive but not dead all the same.

"**NARUTOOOO!"** came Kurumi's sorrowful scream, a scream full of regret and despair. She should not have did those modifications! He should not have lived like this! He should not even have to go through all these effort just to make him survive! **"IT'S ALL MY FAULT! I'M THE ONLY ONE GUILTY! YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL THIS!"** Her thunderous roar echoed within every corner of Naruto's labyrinthine mindscape, bringing with them her regret, disappointment, and sadness.

As she was about to let loose another roar, Naruto's body twitched. A small twitch, barely visible to someone else, but not her. Her hope rose higher than the sky as she caught the small twitch at the corner of her eyes. **"Naruto...?"** she whispered once more. But unlike her previous calls, this one was filled with hope. **"Naruto? Are you awake?"**

Slowly the twitches increase in intensity, almost as if responding to her call. Slowly his hands moved and touched the wet floor, causing her eyes to widen and a smile to blossom on her face. Without any prompting his hands pushed the wet floor. And with a last spurt of strength, his body straightened as he stood, his entire body wobbling unsteadily. He immediately lost his balance, causing him to fall on his behind with a small splash.

But most importantly, he was back.

"**NARUTO!" **Kurumi yelled, tears of happiness falling from her eyes as she saw this. Her tails darted towards his body and quickly wrapped around him before he carried him towards her face, as close as possible to her eyes. **"You're alive!"** she screamed, not caring if Naruto was injured from the sheer volume of her scream.

"Umi!" Naruto yelled in response, his hands quickly covering his ears to prevent any lasting damage to them. "Umi!" he yelled out as he glared towards his guardian. "Umi!" he yelled once more as his hand waved around without objective.

"**Sorry,"** she replied sheepishly. But what's important to her was that he's alive and well. **"But you're okay. And that's what's important."**

"Umi!" he yelled again with a smile on his face. One hand pointed towards himself. "Ruto!"

"**Good!"** Kurumi excitedly yelled. **"We can start again now!"** she cheerfully yet tearfully said, her mind spinning with the things she could have him learn now that he's back and alive, and better than ever, almost as if he never went through anything.

She knew that he shouldn't even be able to say his name, much less glare at her. She knew he should be unable to even stand properly now. Yet she pushed everything to the deepest side of her mind. For now, she only wanted to enjoy his warmth, the very feeling that she swore she would protect. She just wanted him to stay with her for now, damn all the errant thoughts.

And so, Kurumi played with her charge, as if he never went through a life threatening situation...

-CHAPTER END-


	5. Chapter 4: Identity Crisis

Thanks to all my beta readers, whether the ones still with me, or the ones who had left for this chapter, namely kylekatarn77, Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, and all the rest of you guys. Nothing much to say, so please go ahead and read the chapter.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: After being beaten, Naruto ended up at the brink of death, thanks to Kurumi's attempt to brute force his healing. Trying to fix Naruto's battered body, she used a method never before attempted: to give him a bloodline, grafting multiple new organs that were never within a human's body. After a tense period, Naruto came back, having survived the ordeal with his new body.

CHAPTER 4: IDENTITY CRISIS

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

Two years old.

For others, that age was just the start of their young lives. Yet for Naruto, it almost felt like a century away. He lived through the matron's beatings and inedible food, managing to scrape by his survival every day, thanks to Kurumi and her forced enhancements. If not for that, he might not be able to see the day he reached two.

Today, just like the other days, he was cheerfully running within the darkness of his dimly lit mindscape in front of Kurumi's cage, not even bothering about the smelly waters as the splashes his footsteps made echoed within the immense chambers. Only here he can act like a regular child, playing around without a care in the world.

Kurumi stood behind her cage, watching him with a smile. **"Naruto, come here,"** she said, a tail slowly reaching out from behind the bars towards the energetic child in front of her.

"Okay~" He quickly climbed on top of her tail, hugging it with all his might so as to not fall. "I really like your tail, Kurumi-chan!"

"**Yes, you do,"** came her sombre reply. Her enhancements seemed to have some unpredictable side effects to his body. Her constant modification of his brain to adapt to the new organs seemed to have improved them, allowing Naruto to speak fluently despite his young age. He also learned faster, taking only a month to fully learn how to speak, and another couple months to properly pronounce the words without any of the typical childish slurs in those aged 8 to 10 years old. She had no idea what else that her enhancements changed, so she always kept a close look at his situation.

His body was much stronger than a regular child now, but he was still a baby in the end. Stronger than a boy three times his age was nothing much to say, but what the enhanced muscles brought by the Biscopea helped him to endure the beatings the matron put him through easily. And with his improved immune system and healing factor, he no longer needed any help to survive, except for his nutrient intake, which was still abysmal.

She brought him towards her head, a sad smile on her face as she thought of the enhancements. No one should require those changes just to survive. Especially one directly related to a Hokage and the last descendant of the Uzumaki royalty. Yet she knew it wasn't the time yet for her to tell him all this. He needs to grow more, to gain more strength before she could tell him the truth behind his identity. **"You've done all the exercises I told you to?"** she asked.

"Yup!" came his cheerful reply. Nowadays, Kurumi placed him through many physical exercises meant to ensure a proper growth for his body despite the small area he was placed in. Being Naruto, he followed without question, performing those exercises every day. As a result, he was stronger, faster, and more agile than any child three times his age. To prevent the matron from catching him training himself, he was forced to train at night, when the entire orphanage was sleeping. So far, it seemed to work.

"**Have you eaten?"**

"Those were terrible..." he blanched, the foul taste of the food he was fed with still lingering within his mouth.

"**You know you won't be able to survive without it,"** she said in reply. She knew the food was terrible. Oh how she knew. But she also knew that he won't survive without it. Those 'food' he was given was the only thing that kept him between dying. It doesn't matter if he hates it, he still need to eat them.

"But can't I eat something else? Those are terrible!" he protested. He rejected the idea again and again before, but he knew his beloved and only friend Kurumi-chan within his mind won't let him to do so, saying that it's necessary for his survival. Which it was. But that doesn't mean he can't hate it.

"**And I have just the idea to help with that," **she replied with a smile. In her mind, ideas for more enhancements already popped up to help him solve his nutritional issue. He needed those nutrients critically, and what better way to have him look for it? To be honest, she didn't like modifying his body. But he needed those nutrients, and she had no other idea how to.

"You're going to modify me again?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his head. She already told him of the modifications and the effects to him, and he accepted it easily. She did it to ensure he survived, anyway.

"**Yes," **she replied with a nod. It always hurts her to see him like this, a cheerful and excitable child, yet not really knowing why he was punished and hurt constantly. **"This time, there are more organs that I want to add than before,"** she admitted. **"You'll be unconscious during the procedure, so you won't feel anything."**

"Oh, cool!" he replied excitedly. She had been teaching him about human physiology, and it was something exciting to see the master at work. Though he can't really see it since he would be out cold, as she said. "What are you going to add this time?"

"**The first is the Catalepsean Node, which will give you the ability to forfeit sleep, making you capable of staying up for days by shutting down only a few parts of your brain at a time instead of your entire brain. This also gives the benefit of not needing to be fully asleep to get rest, putting you in a meditative state where the brain rests itself temporarily which makes you capable of resting while still aware of your surroundings. You will still need a full sleep after some time though. This does not completely replace a good night's sleep."**

"Sounds great!" he answered in excitement, already leaping in joy at this.

She continued. **"The second is the Occulobe, which will improve your eyesight so much, that not only will you see much further than a normal human, you will also be able see during the darkest of nights like it's daylight. Also, it gives you special visual modes: chakra sight where you can see the flow of chakra of any living being, and infrared sight, which allows you to see heat, allowing you to see a target even in total, absolute darkness. They are normally activated at the same time, with the infrared sight automatically filtering out background heat or anything that's too hot. However, you can also turn them off anytime you want with just a thought, which allows you to control whether or not you can see chakra and/or heat."**

"Chakra?"

"**It's something that a group of people called ninja or shinobi use as their power, and is available in every living being,"** she explained. **"I'll teach you how to use it later, but not right now."**

"Okay~!"

"**The third is the Preomnor, a secondary stomach that can neutralize any and all biochemical contaminants and any poisons that you ingest. It also allows your body to digest anything that you eat, allowing you to gain nutrition even from supposedly inedible stuff. It can even store any toxic products that cannot be digested before forcefully pushing them back to your mouth where you can just vomit it out, preventing any dangerous toxin from entering your system."**

"**The fourth is the Lyman's Ears, a complete ear replacement that completely removes the effects of nausea, dizziness, and vertigo due to motion, and prevents a loss of balance in any condition, preventing enemies from destabilising your base. It also gives much better listening capability, allowing you to easily track or listen to anything around you and to judge a target's distance and actions. It will also filter out any sound you want while strengthening those that are desired, enabling you to completely focus your entire sense of hearing to a single target if required."**

"**The last organ is the Omophagea, an organ that allows you to absorb information from the brains of any animal that you eat, allowing you to gain their memories and skills. It also allows you to learn techniques and skills from animals that you hunt and enemies that you might kill later on. The brains that you eat can even be digested by the Preomnor as well, giving you much-needed nutrients."**

"How did that last one work?" Naruto questioned, his face scrunched in confusion. So he can eat something and gain its knowledge?

"**Now that's a bit hard to explain,"** Kurumi admitted**. "Memories are stored within the brain for any creature. That's why you can train yourself in this mindscape and use that knowledge in the outside world. Even muscle memory is mental, in that you have trained your body to react instantly to certain attacks or events, something that will be etched in your mind. The Omophagea filters the gathering of neurons that contain memories. It will quickly absorb these neurons and analyse them, gaining their memories."**

"Oh. Okay." But before she could do anything, another question popped out of his mouth. "Say, Kurumi-chan, where did you get the ideas for these organs? They even have cool names for them. Wonder how you came up with them." He cannot help but feel curious about this. It's almost as if she knew the idea already, and was just trying to figure out how to make them for real.

"**I don't really know," **she admitted with a shrug. **"They just appeared, but mostly it's because they're what you require at the time, like the ones I just told you of. They allow you to train late at night and hunt and/or forage for food while being able to detect and hide from those who would try to stop you, though you'll need to learn how to move quickly and quietly. But the names…Hm…Never thought about that, honestly. They just came to my mind. As long as they had names, it's better than not, right?"** Naruto just nodded in agreement.

"**Are you ready now?"** she asked one last time. **"No more questions?"**

Naruto drew a deep breath in his mindscape and let it all out in a massive whoosh as he psyched himself up. "I'm ready. Let's do this." Kurumi placed him down on the wet floor before he lay down with arms spread wide.

Kurumi's massive claw hovered over Naruto's prone body before she pricked his skin, sending a wave of youki through his body. The first thing she did was to engage his Sus-An Membrane, putting him in a comatose state. Immediately she went to work, modifying his body through the entire night, a secret known only to her and Naruto.

-BREAK-

The morning sun split the clouds when Naruto's operation ended. With her experience at modifying his body, plus the comatose state he was put into, she was faster than before in making all those organs despite a higher number of the organs. The organs have been properly integrated within his body, and she had disabled the Sus-An Membrane's functions, allowing him to wake up normally.

"**Okay Naruto. We're done, so you can open your eyes now,"** came Kurumi's voice from their mental link, a voice which sounded strangely loud to him. It was about a month after her first modifications that made Naruto knew the existence of the mental link. And she always used it to keep him company, or just to have him train his body to increase his muscular strength as best as he could with his age.

This time, his procedure gave him near-instant effects. He could clearly hear everything around him. The drop of his sweat on the floor, the sound of an old bed creaking, the footsteps of rats within the walls, even the creak the old house made as the sun's rays warmed its structure, every sound seemed to echo within his head. **"Just think of lowering the volume down. The Lyman's Ears will slow them down immediately."**

Complying, Naruto thought of lowering the voices down. Much to his amazement, the voices DID quiet down to a normal level. Remembering the list of implants that were done to him, he opened his tightly shut eyes. Once more, he was amazed at what he saw. Everything he saw had a different colour to it. The door of his closet had a light bluish colour to it and everything else as well. Looking at his hands, he saw that it had a certain orange-ish colour to it with a dark bluish hue in it.

"**That was because your body temperature is higher than a regular person's and because you have more chakra than anyone else,"** Kurumi said once she noticed what Naruto saw from his eyes.

'Body temperature…?' Naruto asked, looking around for any reference points in temperature.

"**Yup!"** Kurumi said with pride. It seemed that her operation succeeded! **"The hotter something is, the redder it will be. The colder something is, the bluer it will be, until it becomes black at an incredibly cold temperature. See the door?"** Kurumi said, referring to the door that Naruto saw. **"That means that the door was cold, but not too cold. Since it automatically removes ambient temperature, you won't see the temperature of the air, but any other objects are visible."**

'Wow!' Naruto replied, extremely excited at the sights that he would see with his new eyes. 'Can't wait to try them out later!' His excitement even leaked to his face, where a long, face splitting smile was visible on it, belying the pain he was put through only a couple hours ago.

"**Relax, Naruto,"** Kurumi said with a chuckle, trying to calm the excited boy down. **"The modifications last night were meant to give you the ability to hunt at night while avoiding everyone else so that you can get enough food for your improved body. However, you can also try them out to practice with them before you actually use them for what they're supposed to be tonight."**

'Okay!'he said eagerly.

-BREAK-

The day passed by as usual, with Naruto being given the terrible food by the matron, and isolated from everyone else. Yet he already learned a lot about his Occulobe within that time period. He saw that everyone else had a body colour of yellow, with certain parts being green with a small dot of chakra blue in their body, signifying that they had a regular body temperature while having a small amount of chakra. His ears caught their voices and their sounds, making him isolate them instinctively, allowing him to determine the movement patterns of the people around his small hut.

"**Naruto, ignore the rest. Use your senses to its maximum and memorize their routines,"** Kurumi told him, something he immediately obliged. The entire day, Naruto did nothing but observe and listen. He took note of everyone's routine, of how they moved, of how they walked. He focused his hearing to the matron and the kids, trying to learn their footsteps and gathering as much detail as he could before the night.

Finally, the night came. It was late in the night as Naruto sat on the floor of his tiny room, listening to everyone's movement as well as he possibly could through the wood that made the door and the walls of the orphanage, a huge house converted for the orphans of Konoha with tall walls surrounding it. And tonight, he was going to climb out, all for the sake of food, a plan that Kurumi already thought of just a moment ago before everyone went to sleep.

But first, he needed to bypass the first obstacle: the walls of his tiny room. Above the wooden walls were massive gaping air holes, enough for his tiny body to pass through. The air holes were the source of some of his worse torments as snow, rain and the sun's hot rays entered freely into his room from them. Yet today, they would become his salvation, for it gave him a way out of his torture room.

With practiced ease he climbed up to the hole, using the small wooden bars to pull his body up. He inched slowly towards the top of the hut, his senses primed and ready, scanning the surroundings for any sign of the matron waking up. It took a titanic effort to him, but he finally reached the top where he stopped still again, monitoring his surroundings.

He poked his head outside before he placed a hand on the other side of the wooden wall that was his cage. Slowly he climbed downwards, making sure he made no noise at all as he did so, using the tiny gaps between plywood walls to move. Finally he reached the ground before he immediately crouched on all fours, looking around within the dead of night with his enhanced senses.

And what a sight out there! He never knew the earth could feel so moist and alive! He drew in a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill his lungs. A feeling of calmness and serenity enveloped him as the cold night embraced him, letting him feel a relaxing chill, something he never felt before. Slowly he crawled towards the orphanage's walls, his senses alert as he caught the cacophony of noises that the night brought up.

It took him ten minutes to reach the walls, standing about two and a half meters tall in front of him, chafing white paint on its walls. He repeated the same process as he placed a foot on the wall, slowly climbing upwards towards the wall's top. His enhanced eyes allowed him to see the small cracks present on it, using them as footholds to reach the top.

As he reached the top, his eyes scanned for everything as he hung on the other side of the wall, letting his eyes work their task as he tried tracking everything in the night. Finally satisfied, he let go of the wall, freefalling to the ground below. With a small thump he landed on the ground, his enhanced body absorbing the impact easily. He looked around, taking in the myriad of sights within the forest behind the orphanage. Being the Hidden Village of Leaf, they had multitudes of forests within the village itself, something that helped them train themselves. 'What now?' he asked.

"**In front of us is a small forest. I think you can hunt for small animals in there. Don't have to go for big game yet, look for easy targets first. You only need to eat and forage for food, so don't overdo it,"** Kurumi said.

Nodding his agreement, Naruto went straight ahead as silent as possible, his eyes scanning for prey while his ears tried catching the location of anything that might come close to him. With his special eyesight, he quickly managed to lock onto a target, a large, fist-sized rat behind a pile of leaves, busy eating what seemed like a small piece of dried fruit. 'Is that okay?' he asked Kurumi.

"**That should be fine,"** she replied. **"Your body could digest nearly anything that you were to eat, so you'll have no problems eating it raw. Be careful though. They're fast little critters, so it might be difficult to catch them."**

Naruto just nodded at this before crouching low, preparing himself to pounce on the rat with all the strength his improved muscles gave him. Keeping his eyes trained on the rat, he noted every movement it made, the fast nibbling it was doing on the fruit in its hands, the way its ears perked around to find threats, the way its whiskers seemed to jolt with every small movement around him, nothing missed his sight as the rat enjoyed its final dinner.

Finally assured of his success level, Naruto bent his knees back before pushing the ground with his entire strength, sending him flying towards the rat. The rat, however, missed this in its ecstasy of its dinner, not able to hear the sound of Naruto leaping towards it. However, the movement of the wind alerted it that something was coming, causing it to stop and drop its food. It was too late.

Naruto's strong hands quickly grabbed hold of the rat before he rolled down on the ground, reducing the momentum of his jump before crouching down, the loud squeaking of the rat went unrealised and unnoticed within the forest, its voice just a few among the cacophony of the forest's night life. He looked at the struggling and squeaking rat in his hand before he asked. '…So how should I eat him?'

"**Just bit the head off,"** Kurumi replied. It was not really a necessity for Naruto to have his food cooked, and besides, if he cooked, he would be easily discovered, failing the task of hunting for his own food that he was assigned with. **"Don't waste any of it. Eat everything."**

Nodding, Naruto immediately took the still squeaking rat and placed its head in his mouth. The rat, sensing that its life was in peril, squeaked even harder and much more frantically, but it was for nought. With a powerful bite, Naruto's teeth cleaved the rat in half, sending sprays of blood all over him and silencing his chitters once and for all. Ignoring the feeling of the warm liquid on his body, Naruto chewed the rat, crunching all of it with his strong jaws, crushing bones, organs and muscles into a mix of raw, unsafe for anyone but him pile of minced rat meat. To anyone else it might seem horrifying and inedible, but to Naruto, that was the freshest food he ever had! Finally finished chewing half of it, he threw the other half into his mouth, continuing the process again, mixing the two together. After some time of chewing, he swallowed everything, where his hungry stomachs eagerly await the incoming food, preparing to digest them. 'That was delicious! Let's do that again!' he said to Kurumi in excitement.

"**Naruto…"** Kurumi sighed at his enthusiasm. He sure needed to do that again though. **"Okay, look around. Hunt some other animals too. Rats, snakes, hares, birds, anything."**

Nodding in agreement, Naruto began his hunt, looking around for any prey that he could, a huge, bloody grin on his face at the prospect of a nice game.

-BREAK-

Licking his fingers after eating a squirrel that he found curling in a hole at a tree, Naruto let out a loud burp. Finally, after years of his life, his hunger was satiated! He could feel his entire body groaning in satisfaction as he gorged on the foods that he found within the forest. The mushrooms, the hanging fruits, even the insects, all of it was fair game for him. He was sitting down on the base of a tree, a stick in his hand as he picked his teeth for any residue, ignoring the blood that was dripping down his chin from his recent foods.

"**Naruto!"** Kurumi shouted. **"Don't burp like that! It's rude!"**

"Aaahhh…." Naruto sighed in relief before letting out another loud, long burp. 'Sorry about that. It's just that I never felt this satisfied since ever!'

A pang of sadness hit Kurumi from his completely innocent statement, causing her to feel dejected. **"Sorry… I forgot that you never had a full meal your entire life… I just wanted to teach you some manners. Forgive me…"**

'Naah! No problem, Kurumi!' Naruto replied to her words happily. 'If not for you and those augmentations, I'd never be able to feel all this! I'll be stuck behind that wall, not even having a complete meal! Hey, Kurumi, can we do this every day?'

Kurumi was wiping her eyes as she heard Naruto's words echo within the mindscape. **"Of course,"** she replied. **"In fact, I want you to be able to do this every day, not letting up. You need to eat a lot Naruto. This is the only solution."**

'Okay!' he replied happily, an honest smile on his face outside his mindscape for the first time in years, a smile that could melt even the hardest of hearts, yet one that was buried beneath the tons of pain that he was put through his life.

"**Right,"** Kurumi said next. **"You need some water to drink, and also to wash out the blood on your face. Can't let them catch you with that on can we?"**

'Yup!' he replied happily, still ecstatic at his first full stomach ever. Concentrating his ears again, he caught the sound of a small stream located close by his position. Immediately he stood, ready to rush towards it and clean his face. All the while, he still kept his senses up and at the ready in case anyone saw him. He couldn't expose himself yet.

Along the way, he caught another rat, smaller in size than the first one and promptly chewed it alive. It seemed that there were a lot of them in this area. A good source of food, if any, especially when combined with the fruits and herbs that he could forage. It didn't matter if he ate too much since his body could quickly digest the entire animal, bones and all, to become his fuel and the building blocks to his future developments.

Reaching the stream, Naruto dipped his entire face into it and quickly and greedily sucking the water with his bloody mouth. Small trails of blood flowed downstream as the rushing water cleaned his face. After a while, Naruto flipped his head up, needing to take a breath. "Fuah… That was delicious," he said to himself.

"**It sure is,"** Kurumi said with both happiness and sadness in her voice. No child should have to go through that just to get food. But now, she needed to start Naruto's training further, and hopefully they won't catch him during this important time. However, she was interrupted by Naruto who was suddenly grabbing his head in pain.

"Aaargh…" Naruto groaned as he fell on the ground, clutching his head. He was just basking from the fact that he just had a nice drink when suddenly, visions assaulted his head. Visions of him slithering on the ground, of him running through the forests, of him watching another animal, of how he tracked another creature, stalking it through the undergrowth, how his ears perked up whenever he sensed danger…

"**NARUTO! HOLD ON! THAT'S NOT YOU! THEY'RE MEMORIES OF THE ANIMALS!"** Kurumi shouted in fear, trying to keep Naruto holding on to who he was and not be caught in the flow of memories from the animals he just ate. **'This is bad!'** she thought. **'I never thought that it would take effect this fast, and definitely not to this extent! He's going to lose himself at this rate!' "NARUTO! LISTEN TO ME!"** she screamed again, trying to attract Naruto's attention.

Naruto was struggling with the memories of the animals that he just ate. Their behaviour, their instincts, their actions, their routines, all of them clashing madly with the personality that was 'Uzumaki Naruto'." Kurumi's voice barely pierced through the dissonance of memories and minds of the creatures that he ate. As he struggled, he slowly but surely heard Kurumi's words through the calamity that was his mind right now, as if she was but a whisper within the clashing thoughts that were currently wrecking havoc in his mind.

With extreme effort, Naruto used Kurumi's terrified voice to anchor himself as 'him', as 'Uzumaki Naruto', not as a snake or a rat. With a force of will as strong as steel, Naruto managed to pull himself back amongst the myriad minds that he just ate, which he experienced as well, slowly pulling himself towards Kurumi's gentle voice. **"…to!… lis… me! Na…! …me!"**

"**NARUTO!"**

Naruto's eyes snapped open as he heard Kurumi's last call, louder than any that he heard before, finding that he was lying spread eagle on the ground. Lifting a hand towards his face, he watched as the heat registered in his eyes in the form of orange-ish colour with a dark blue centre, showing his higher than normal body temperature and his immense amount of chakra before balling the hand into a fist, making sure that he was still alive. He did the same to his other hand and his legs before slowly getting back up to a sitting position and grabbed his throbbing head, feeling his twin hearts beating rapidly at his anxiety. **"NARUTO! NARUTO! ARE YOU THERE?!"** he heard Kurumi shouting through their mental link, trying to call out to him.

'Yeah… Urgh… I'm fine, Kurumi,' he said, rubbing off the headache that was plaguing his head. 'What… What was that? It's like I'm not… me. I'm… something else,' he asked.

Kurumi let out a sigh of relief at this response. Naruto was back, and hopefully he could still hold his own consciousness. **"Those were the memories of the animals that you ate, Naruto,"** replied Kurumi. **"The Omophagea, if you remember, absorbs the memories from anything that you eat that had memories, allowing you to learn about them, their skills and their environment. However, it seems that it practically absorbed their entire mind as well. That just now was when their memories, experiences, their 'self', so to say, clashed with yours. Luckily, you recovered fast enough."**

'Thanks for that, Kurumi,' Naruto thanked her, still rubbing off his killer headache. 'If not for you calling me, I would have never found my way through that.' A thought entered his mind then. 'What happens if I failed to find myself?'

Hesitantly, Kurumi replied, giving her theory of what might just happen in such a situation. **"…You might just become feral. Caught between you and your recently gained animal instincts, you'll become something else. A combination of everything, yet nothing at all. It's not something that you'd want, nor would it be something that you can recover from, I think. Thanks to your iron will, you managed to hold on long enough to prevent you from being swept by the jumble of thoughts."**

Naruto shivered at this prospect of being caught as something that was inhuman. Something with a human's body, but with the amalgamated mind of many others, making him something humanlike, yet not human at the same time. 'Really, thanks for that, Kurumi,' he said again. A thought entered his mind at that time. 'Say, Kurumi. This is a bloodline right? If my children were to do the same, how will they find themselves? They won't have you within them to call out to them.'

This stumped Kurumi. A little boy, not even 3 years old, already asking such a question? He'd matured faster than any other person she knew, and she knew that eventually he'd go even farther. A small voice at the back of her head spoke, telling her that it was due to her enhancements, a voice she agreed to, though she didn't necessarily show it to Naruto. Pondering on his question for a while, Kurumi finally answered, **"I think that you'll need to observe them. Make sure that when they did so, they did it with you or your wife beside them, so that you can call them back. You'll be their anchor, just like how I became yours."**

Naruto processed what Kurumi said as he nodded his understanding. He understood what she meant by that. He completely did. If what happened to him just now will be experienced by his children and their children, he need to be there to pull them back to their body and self instead of becoming the animal, a thought he did not even want to consider.

Kurumi realised where Naruto's mind would be going, so to stop it, she immediately called Naruto. **"Naruto, enough about that. It's still early for you to think about that. Let's continue the night with some more training."**

'Okay…' Naruto answered weakly. Trying to push it out of his mind, he stood up, smacked his face before saying with as much enthusiasm as he could muster after such a devastating revelation. 'Alright! What's for today?'

Kurumi already saw through Naruto's paper thin disguise of happiness, though she commented nothing of it. Instead, she put on her own mask of fake cheer and continued with their itinerary for the night. **"Alright! Next up on our agenda tonight is taijutsu training!"** and so, the night passed with the two together, Naruto moving his body according to Kurumi's orders, while Kurumi herself taught Naruto the move set of the taijutsu styles that she knew.

-BREAK-

Four months passed, and Naruto's routine continued the same as it was that first night, where he would sneak out of the orphanage, hunt animals and eat fruits, meditate to meld the minds and skills of the animals that he ate into his own mind, and to wash himself within the cold waters of the small stream. With his enhanced senses, he was never discovered at all, and the skills of the animals that he ate added up to his own, making him a much more terrifying predator while hunting.

His body digested the food he ate easily, supplementing his body. The chemicals in his body made short work of any food he had, quickly building up his muscles and bones, making them denser and stronger as he ate the animals' whole. As Kurumi sensed this, she slowly withdrew her youki from Naruto's body, forcing it to rely entirely on flesh instead of the chakra-youki mix she used before. Much to her delight, his body immediately responded as they quickly patched up the 'injuries' that the lack of youki that previously held them up.

Now a little over two years old, Naruto's entire body was properly his own as Kurumi retrieved her youki from his body, finally having enough nutrition to make his body completely natural instead of being supported by her. Naruto's face even smiled more often now as he finally had full stomachs during his nights at the orphanage nowadays, something he never felt before.

During those times, Naruto questioned her about him still living in the orphanage. Now that he can exit freely, why can't they just leave? Living here was terrible as it was, so why didn't they just live in the forests? It's a better place for them both with abundant food, decent sleeping areas, good training spots and more importantly, no one to beat him up. They could live happily out here!

Kurumi slowly answered him. **"Naruto, you must understand. The Hokage himself placed you here,"** she spoke as Naruto nodded in acknowledgement. **"If there's anything going on, he'll be able to check up on you here easily, since this was the last place he knew you were in."**

"But he never came by!" Naruto yelled back, tears in his eyes.

"**I believe he's too busy, Naruto,"** she spoke, trying to soothe the angry Naruto. He had every right to be angry too, she thought sadly. Where the hell was that old man and his godfather?! Yet she still tried to soothe him, trying to get him to stay there. **"Konoha is a massive village, one of the strongest. He'll be too busy managing it. Until his schedule clears, it's better if we stay here and wait until he came by. He will come one day, I'm sure. Another reason would be the fact that you are still a baby. A baby found within Konoha's forest, eating animals raw while being able to talk clearly? They will think you some sort of monster, and you might be in worse fate."**

Naruto was not too convinced by Kurumi's answer, yet he understood that he had no other place to go to if anything happened. It's better if he stayed here and learn what he could from her in the meantime, gaining strength to properly grow and live. Besides, her beatings no longer hurt as much nowadays, not with his enhanced physique and toughened body, though he still lied down on the ground and pretended as if he was in pain. "Okay..." he spoke, agreeing to Kurumi.

"**Thank you for agreeing, Naruto,"** she bowed behind her cage. **"Now how's that taijutsu training going?"** she asked, eager to teach Naruto more of what she knew. In her mind, she already had an idea on what to teach Naruto, something that she knew would help a lot in his future.

"It's great!" he replied with a bright smile before he immediately practiced his techniques, his body quickly punching and kicking an illusionary enemy in front of him, his tiny feet splashing the waters of the sewer underneath him. Kurumi observed him carefully as he did so, judging his speed, strength and reaction time. And immediately she knew that her modifications had bore fruit with Naruto's stable diet.

His punches were strong and fast, a sign of his enhanced muscular system. Every punch was faster than a regular child even without chakra enhancement. As he mock sparred, she saw that he haven't breathed hard, a sign of his increased stamina which also helped his ability to forfeit sleep. She cannot judge his reaction speed properly though since he had no one that struck him back.

"**You've learned well, Naruto,"** she said with a smile, causing Naruto to grin widely at her acknowledgement. **"But I have something new to teach you today. Do you want to know?"** she spoke with a small grin, already knowing the reply from Naruto.

"Really?! Wow!" Naruto excitedly yelled out. "Teach me! Teach me!" he excitedly yelled as he leapt in joy.

Kurumi lightly chuckled as she saw Naruto's excited reply. He really loved learning new stuff. **"Relax, Naruto," **she said, calming down Naruto's excited jumps slightly. **"Now, this will be one of the most useful skill in your life ever, so make sure you learn this well, okay?"**

"Okay!" he grinned wide, his smile brightening the dank sewer.

"**It's how to write."**

"Write?"

"**Yes, Naruto,"** she replied. **"It's how you read the strange writings you see around you. You know those strange lines and forms that you see on things as you left the orphanage?"** He nodded. **"Those are writings. By learning it, you can decipher the words easily."**

"Really?! Cool!"

"**Good. Now, you need to be in the real world again. You'll need a place to write, and the ground is the easiest."**

"Okay!" With a single thought, Naruto appeared back in the real world, looking at the moonlit earth in the woods. "Now what?"

"**Use your finger to draw on the ground. I'll teach you what it meant."**

"Okay!" And in that night, Naruto learned how to spell his and Kurumi's name. Happy at the speed Naruto was learning, she upped the ante and began teaching him common letters as well, letting him master the basics of writing. Thanks to his enhanced memory, improved together with the other enhancements to his brain, he quickly caught the words easily. Slowly Kurumi taught him the subtleties and flow of the language as well, not just the words.

-BREAK-

Only two months after she began teaching Naruto of words, he had already mastered most of it from a combination of his photographic memory and his enhanced mental functions. His writing was rough and messy, but she blamed that on how he was writing instead of a lack of skill on his side. Happy as she was, she knew she was not finished yet with his enhancements.

Another issue she just noticed with Naruto's eating habits was that he was unable to finish everything despite his enhanced digestive system. He needed her assistance to digest the things he ate. She already knew about this issue from the times when the matron force-fed him the foul things she gave him. However, the problem was compounded with the fact that the Ossmodula somehow required more than just calcium. It used everything within Naruto's food. Digested bones, small pieces of earth, everything was used by both the Biscopea and Ossmodula.

To add to this issue, Naruto also ate everything he could get his hands on, be they edible or not. His Preomnor worked overtime just to prevent his body from being poisoned by the foul things he ate. Poisonous mushrooms, dangerous herbs, dead animals, all of them became his foodstuff. Every day, his body puked a huge amount of random things he ate from his Preomnor, deeming them not suitable for his wellbeing. He never cared, even with Kurumi discouraging him from eating them. He knew that he needed to eat, and his own lack of food pushed him down this path.

Once again, it was a dark and stormy night when Naruto went out hunting again, the howling winds almost as silent as the night as his Lyman's Ears silenced its baleful roar, focusing instead on his prey. This time, he decided to become more adventurous, taking on something he never tried before: a snake hanging on a tree branch. Snakes were something that he liked to hunt due to their elusive nature, but this time, it's located high up in the air on the tree, making it more difficult to him especially in this storm.

The heavy rain did nothing to dampen his spirit and his body, the water flowing down his skin easily. In fact, the rain helped conceal his small footsteps as he slowly tracked his target, rendered visible within the blinding downpour thanks to his Occulobe, it's slight chakra pattern clear to him despite its hidden form.

Naruto slowly climbed up the tree, grabbing the trunk with his hands and his toes, making sure not to surprise the snake. Slowly and surely he crept behind it, becoming stock still every time the snake's tongue flicked the air, tasting it for any prey around him. Little did it knew that it's predator hung right behind him.

With a single lunge Naruto shot forward, his hands wide open to grab the snake. Surprised, it was unable to react as a tiny hand grabbed it's body. It hissed and thrashed angrily as it was lifted up by its tail, the triumphant face of Naruto right beside its head as he lifted it in joy. Another meal for the day! It can wash down that nasty taste of whatever that old matron stuffed his mouth with, he's sure!

But just as he was about to chow down on the tree snake, it let loose with a lightning fast strike. What's worse was the fact that the snake struck him right where he was weakest: his eyeball. He barely dodged the snake's high speed strike with a pull of his head. However, he was unable to avoid the snake's venomous spit as it sprayed from its mouth in a quick burst. Naruto could only watch in horror as the poison splashed into his face, entering his vulnerable eye.

"AAAAAAARGH!" his loud scream melded with the heavy rain and the boom of lightning strikes as his hand reflexively released the snake from his hand. In vengeance and fear the snake hissed angrily before it struck Naruto's body again and again. Only Naruto's toughened skin prevented the fangs from piercing his body, injecting him with more and more of its lethal poison. Blinded from the poisonous spray, Naruto stumbled on the branch and lost his grip causing gravity to assert itself, dragging him down onto the hard ground below.

With a loud boom Naruto's body crashed on the ground, sending a spray of rainwater skywards as he planted himself deep in the ground, a human-shaped indentation underneath him. Yet Naruto barely felt the pain from the fall as the snake's venom worked it's way in his eye, flowing within his bloodstream in an instant thanks to his twin hearts. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHH! IT BURNS! IT BURNS!" came his ear splitting cry of pain, drowned by the heavy rainfall around him.

**"NARUTO! HANG ON!"** Kurumi yelled between him as she reacted immediately, her powers flowing from her straight into his body, quickly heading towards the venom within his bloodstream. She made short work of it, neutralising and absorbing it before her powers went towards his eye. Outside, blood vessels criss crossed over his sclera as the immense pain and deadly venom killed one of his eye, rendering him blind as one of his hand gripped his hurting eye socket.

Kurumi immediately went to work on his eye, her powers reconstructing his damaged eye and restored every injury the poison caused to him. Naruto during all this time was blissfully knocked out just moments before, the Sus-An Membrane automatically considering the damage something he needed to recover from. Kurumi, meanwhile, never rested as she checked every single part of Naruto, ensuring he was at his best. **"Naruto...?"** she slowly called out to him from within, ensuring that he was alive and well. **"Are you okay...?"**

With a small groan he woke up, his naked body showered with nature's blessing before he immediately clamped his hand over the injured eye, still feeling the tingle of pain flowing through it. "I... I'm okay," he slowly replied. "I think," he added after a small pause.

**"You scared me!"** she yelled in reply. **"Are you sure you're okay now?"** she asked afterwards, her voice worried and sad.

"I'm fine," came his reply. "Thank you, Kurumi-chan," he spoke with a smile on his face, a smile he never showed anyone else but her. With a small frown on his face he stood back up again, trying to hunt his prey once more. He'll get that snake, he promise!

Kurumi just smiled as she heard Naruto calling her with the –chan suffix. Being the only person in his life worth calling, she knew that he was just being kind to her. But what came to her mind was not how Naruto was calling her. Instead, the event just now showed her another issue with Naruto's body.

He had no poison immunity.

Anything poisonous that he ate would usually be pushed out by the Preomnor, just like she wanted it to. However, that does not include attacks and anything that can inject toxin directly into his bloodstream, like gas, bite or spray, just like the snake just now. He will need a way to filter and neutralize poisons, maybe even use it for his own later on.

Once again, Naruto hunted the snake, having locked on to it with his eyesight. As he caught it easily, he immediately grinned widely, knowing that he finally caught his prey. And this time, he gave no quarter as he immediately grabbed the snake's body before pulling it off the branch and biting down on it hard. Blood spurted out, bathing Naruto in its reddish stain as it was quickly washed away by the heavy downpour.

The snake hissed and struck, but nothing could stop Naruto as he quickly munched on the snake's body, his powerful jaws and sharp teeth chomped down on the creature. Not long afterwards the animal let loose its last hiss before it died completely, its blood drained together with rainwater to the ground.

While Naruto was happily munching away on the snake's flesh, Kurumi assisted him in the digestion of the snake's entire body. As she did, she analyzed its bodily structure and its poisonous glands, integrating it with her knowledge on human anatomy. And while Naruto was eating the poor creature, Kurumi gained her next idea.

Naruto's mouth opened to let the rain gather, feeling it pool in his mouth. He always liked the cold, refreshing feeling of rainwater, something he never failed to appreciate. With a loud gulp he swallowed the water, feeling the cold liquid flow within his body. "Aaaahhh... That felt great," he spoke with satisfaction in his voice.

"**Naruto,"** came Kurumi's stern voice. And Naruto's body immediately froze, already knowing the reason for her call. He knew that tone. There's only one reason she would use that tone. He will have more enhancements. "What is it?" he answered quickly. A bit too quick, if Kurumi were to be trusted.

"**I have..."**

"An idea!" Naruto finishes her words cheerfully. Her enhancements always made him better, so he always looked forward to it. "Let's hear it!"

"**Naruto, that snake just now demonstrated something obvious, the fact that you had no poison immunities within you,"** she reasoned.**"With these new enhancements, you will be immune to poisons and toxins, and will be able to use them against your enemies as well. It will also give you some new abilities."**

"Let's hear it." Only in the forest can he talk loudly to his guardian demon, with her listening well despite the heavy rain on them.

"**Naruto, the first of the new organs that I had in mind is the Oolitic Kidney, located underneath your second heart. This organ is responsible for two things. First, it is able to filter out any poison and toxic material that you ingested or breathed into your system and will work in conjunction with the other new organs to ensure that you'll never be poisoned by anything. However, if the poison or toxic is too potent, your body would still be disabled for a while as the Oolitic Kidney works to filter out everything and circulate them to where they will be removed from the system as waste. The second function is to act as a maintainer to ensure the proper functioning of all your organs, added or original."**

"**The second is the Neuroglottis, an organ located just ahead of your throat. It enables you to test the toxicity of a food just by tasting, allowing you to identify whether it is edible or not. It also helps you track a prey just by using taste alone. It also improves your sense of smell, allowing you to smell much, much better than a regular human, or even an animal. Combined with all the experiences of the animals that you've eaten, this will help you to easily detect and track your quarry, enabling you to find even more food easier."**

"**The third would be the Multi-Lung, a third lung that will further improve your blood oxygen levels, increasing your stamina to a whole new level while also allowing you to extract as much oxygen as possible from oxygen deprived environments. It will function together with your regular lungs regularly. However, when in toxic environments, your regular lungs will close through sphincter muscles located in front of the tracheal entry for the two lungs, instead forcing all air through the Multi-Lung which will filter all the toxins and taking in only oxygen. It will also allow you to breathe in water, though you'll be at a weaker position due to your other two lungs closing down to prevent the poisons and water from coming into them."**

"**The fourth is an organ whose inspiration came from the snake just now, the Betcher's Glands. There are two of these glands, one at both sides of your inner mouth and the other located at your pancreas. The ones on your mouth will create poisonous, acidic spit when activated, allowing you to spit acid at your enemies and prey. It also allows you to chew and digest what was usually inedible, like rocks and steel bars, gaining required nutrients from them. The second will receive the biochemical toxins that the other organs received before copying them and recreating them within your body, allowing you to become immune to them in the future. The Betcher's Glands in the mouth will also create the same type of poison, making your spit even deadlier."**

"**All of this together will allow you to survive in extremely toxic environments as well as any poison-based attacks in the future,"** Kurumi said, ending her explanations on the new organs.

Naruto sat still on the trunk of a tree, ignoring the heavy downpour around him as he heard her explanation, remaining silent the entire time as she allowed her to finish her explanation. "So it's to help me survive in poisonous and toxic environment?" he asked.

"**Yes."**

"But why acid spit?" he asked.

"**It will allow you to escape any physical bindings that you might be in later in your life,"** she explained. **"Your body also accepts some bizarre substance as food, like rocks and steel. This allows your body to use them as components to create your hardened bones, making them even tougher."**

Naruto just nodded as he heard her reasoning. That was pretty much accurate and correct, so he had nothing against it. She had already explained before that his body took different nutrition to grow, unlike everyone else, so he understood her requirements. "When will you start?"

"**I'll start now, just need you to be at a comfortable location,"** she said, which Naruto obliged immediately as he laid down where he was, feeling it comfortable enough for him. Naruto nodded, knowing that Kurumi could see his nod from within him.

Kurumi replied his nod with a similar action before her powers exploded from her within Naruto, once again modifying his body, making him better and stronger...

-CHAPTER END-

As usual, read and review.


	6. Chapter 5: Escape

Thanks to kylekatarn77, Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, my RL friend for this chapter's idea and all the rest of you guys for helping me with this chapter.

Have a read.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: Using her powers, Kurumi further modified Naruto's body, allowing him to hunt within the forest around the orphanage, giving him much needed nutrients and some light training to survive his life. She also found out that her modifications gave Naruto enhanced mental capabilities as a side effect.

CHAPTER 5: ESCAPE

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

Fall came to the Elemental Nations as time flowed after Naruto's latest enhancements, littering the streets with brown leaves as the great trees of Konoha prepared to enter the winter season. Yet during the night, life continued within the forests of its massive walls. So too, does a boy of an orphanage in Konoha.

Naruto sat cross-legged on the forest floor, a half bitten snake in one hand as his mouth moved, chewing the animal to pieces with his powerful jaws, his acidic saliva making short work of its bones and internals before he swallowed and took another bite. Within moments, not a single speck of the snake remained, only its blood splashing messily on Naruto's torso. Stretching a hand, he took a pebble beside him before he stuffed it into his mouth, waiting for his acid spit to act on it before munching happily. He continued chewing, his pearl white teeth shone within the night.

At first, Naruto was against the idea of him eating random piles of stone and earth. However, when he tried one of the rocks within the forest, he found out that they had a completely different taste to them. His favourite would be the old, mossy rocks, those that have not moved for years upon years together with the insects that lived underneath it.

Naruto's hand struck fast, grabbing the centipede that was underneath the rock he ate. Without even looking at it, he opened his mouth, stuffing the four-inch-long centipede into his mouth. A crunch echoed slightly within the forest as he chewed down on the unfortunate insect before he swallowed it, the pile of supposedly inedible mix flowing smoothly through his gullet.

Once more, Naruto thanked Kurumi's organs as he sat in satisfaction. The rocks that he ate built up his body as the Ossmodula's chemicals uses it to build up his bones. If his bones were hard before, they were nearly unbreakable by this point. Kurumi even theorized that if he were to eat metal raw, his bones and teeth would be a sort of metal alloy instead, differing so much than the strange amalgamation of materials it was now.

He stood up and turned around, his body already knowing where to head next: a river for him to wash out the blood. The delicious waters pretty much helped him in his refreshments too. With a single leap he shot forwards, his footsteps silent as death as he ran towards the river, enjoying the feeling of rushing air on his naked skin with a wide smile on his face. He liked being in the forest, for it was the only time he could be free of everything in his life.

In a short while, he arrived at the river, the stream cutting through the small forest. Crouching beside it, he cupped his hands into the waters, feeling the cold water in his hands. With a single gulp he swallowed it, a chilling feeling spreading within his chest. He sighed in pleasure before he dunked his head into the river's surface. With a loud slurp Naruto drank, letting the refreshing taste clear his throat from the coppery taste of blood and chitin.

He stared at the pristine surface of the river, as he smelled the strong scent of blood on his body. With a smile on his face he leapt high, soaring above the river with ease. Water sprayed skywards as he dove through the surface with a loud splash, the grin on his face perpetual.

He could feel his lungs clamp down, restricting access as his third lung filled with water, allowing him to breathe easy. He swam underneath the water's surface, feeling the chill seep into his very bones before he leapt out in a huge splash, the waters around him stained red as the blood washed away with the frigid waters. "Buah!" came his yell as he landed on the water's edge, droplets dribbled from the side of his mouth before he coughed out the remnants of water in his lung.

The cold breeze of Fall cruised on his body, causing him to shiver at the riverside. He could feel his body temperature dropping wildly as the cold nearly froze him to his bones. He may have loved the water's cold, but the loss of heat from this was worse than what he thought! "K-k-k-kurumi…?" he shivered, coherent speech thrown out the window.

Kurumi just shook her head with a smile before she acted, letting Naruto freeze for a while within the cold breeze before her power flooded his tiny body, warming his freezing body up. He may have a different body than a regular human, but he still cannot survive within extreme temperature for long without any help from her. **"I told you not to dive into that river, Naruto,"** she scolded him. **"Look where that got you!"**

"B-b-but I want to…" his words were cut off as he felt the cold slowly disappear as Kurumi's power warmed him up from within. "Aaahhh…" he sighed in relief, letting the warmth spread deep from within him throughout his entire body. "But I want to swim…" he continued his words from before.

"**I know you liked swimming Naruto," **she said slowly, remembering the times when she taught him how to swim. Though most of the time, it was just Naruto diving into the waters and letting his Multi-Lung does its magic. **"But you need to take care of your body as well. The water's cold this time of the year, and with winter coming closer, you'll be extremely cold, especially from the wind."**

An idea struck her at the moment. Naruto also had the same thought passing through him, causing his and Kurumi's face to light up like candles in a dark winter night.

"**Naruto! I-"**

"So what organs?" he said at the same time, quickly knowing just what she was about to say to him.

Kurumi sighed with a smile on her face. **"Seems I can no longer hide from you,"** she spoke. **"This time it's much simpler and much less though. The first is the Mucranoid, an organ that can change the composition of your sweat into a sort of waxy substance, allowing you to endure changes in weather and allowing you to survive hostile environments like extreme cold or extreme heat. This will act like a sort of suit around you, helping your entire body to function regularly despite your surroundings."**

"**The second was something that relates to the first, which is the Melanochrome. This implant will secrete hormones that will change the colour of your skin automatically depending on the levels of sunlight that you're receiving, allowing you to survive a direct blast of the sun's rays during times when the sun is high in the sky right above you, preventing you from getting hit by any heat stroke or sunburns. Together, these two organs will ensure that you can survive in any environment, even with minimal protection,"** she replied.

"Funny how the situation almost warranted the organs you gave," Naruto said in reply.

"**Of course," **she replied sadly. **"The organs I had in mind are almost certainly a counter to the situation that you are in at the moment, not to mention your future life, since what you encounter today you will almost definitely encounter in the future. So, it's better to enhance you now than later."**

"Alright then," Naruto smiled. "When will you start, Kurumi-chan?"

"**I'll start now,"** she replied. With her constant tampering of his body, she was now skilled enough to be able to modify his body relatively quickly, needing only an hour or two to create and modify his organs. Combined with his better diet nowadays, it would be easier for her to find materials to make the new organs. **"Find a place to sit, as usual."** Naruto obeyed, and once again sat down on the trunk of a tree, sitting still as Kurumi began the excruciating process of improving his body.

-BREAK-

Months passed after the last set of enhancements from Kurumi. And as she wanted it to, it allowed Naruto to last through the winter quite easily, the Mucranoid layer on him preventing the cold from reaching him. It was also a testament to Naruto's own strong will as he lived through everything the matron put him through, no matter what.

Naruto was training his taijutsu within the small forest, his small body moving and dodging, mentally duelling against a shadow opponent. A quick one-two combo from his fists aimed towards the chest of an enemy of similar height to him. A kick swept his imaginary opponent's feet, dropping him before he kneeled on top of his opponent, restraining him with a hand on his neck.

Kurumi watched Naruto's nimble movements with a smile. For a child, he was very quick on his feet, with reaction speed faster than other kids were. His frequent hunts and training helped develop his body even more, making him stronger. Yet unlike regular human, his strength does not sacrifice his agility, something she attributed to the Biscopea's enhancement of his muscular system.

It does not take long for her to realise that the sun almost rose, something that she noted to him immediately. **"It's almost dawn, Naruto,"** Kurumi spoke to him. **"Make it quick, we need to return back."** Naruto silently nodded, his body on the move again as he practiced the moves he was just taught for another couple of times. Silently she watched Naruto as he practiced his new technique again and again, trying to master it as fast as he can, her heart feeling light and warm at Naruto's sincere efforts.

She ran her mind through the modifications that she performed to Naruto and their abilities. Super speed and strength, extremely resilient body, disease immunity, rapid healing, self-maintenance, poison immunity, last ditch weapon and potential escape mechanism, survivability in extreme environments which includes lack of edible food and sleep, poisonous or toxic air and water, extreme temperatures, highly strengthened senses and faster reaction, and near unlimited stamina. A terrifying fact ran through her mind as she registered all the upgrades he had, realising that he needed nothing else now.

She made Naruto a near-perfect human.

Was this what her power was fully capable of doing? Something that can change a being so much, almost considered god-like. It terrified her, just as it does all those time before, but at a much higher scale. Before, she was only terrified of its influence on her fragile, young mind. Now, she was terrified of its sheer strength and ability. No wonder her Father took so long to defeat the Juubi.

And she swore, she will no longer use her power for bio manipulation again, no matter what the cost.

"Hey, Kurumi-chan," Naruto questioned her as he practiced his taijutsu techniques. The sky was still dark, but small rays of light had already pierced through the darkness. It was only a matter of time before he needed to get back to the orphanage, but he delayed it, wanting her to answer his final questions.

"**What is it?"**

"Is the bloodline complete?" he questioned.

Kurumi could feel the desire in his voice. He liked those modifications she did since it allowed him to survive and last, even capable of ignoring the matron's 'punishments'. However, by now, she had an answer to the million-dollar question. **"Yes, Naruto. I believe it is complete. Your body is complete."**

Suddenly, his cheerfulness from before was replaced by worry as his movements slowed down before finally stopping completely, the feeling he had radiating from his mental representative towards Kurumi. Kurumi was about to ask when Naruto opened his mouth first. "You... You will not leave me, right?" he asked, worry and fear within his voice.

"**What?"** Kurumi jolted back in surprise. **"What made you say so?"**

"But... But now I can survive without any help," he nervously said as he twiddled his fingers together. "You don't have to heal me anymore; I can do it myself. I can find food; I am strong enough to train. I-"

"**Stop there,"** Kurumi quickly cut his words off. **"I understand, Naruto,"** she said, causing Naruto's worry to become fear, his eyes as wide as saucers. However, before he could say anything to her, she cut him off again. **"But that doesn't mean I would leave you,"** she quickly said. **"I will not leave you, Naruto. No matter what happens to you, no matter how, I will not leave you. I am a part of you, Naruto, and I will be with you until the end of time."**

Naruto's face lit up like the rising sun as he heard her words. "Really?!" he quickly ran towards her cage, happiness shining on his face. "You won't leave me?!"

"**I won't, Naruto,"** she said. Not that she can leave without killing him, but that's a different matter entirely. **"I promise you that I won't leave you alone."**

"Thank you!" Naruto yelled out happily. Kurumi just watched him as her tails stretched towards him, slowly caressing his face with her soft and silky fur, something that Naruto never had enough. He really liked her soft fur. It warmed him up, not in the way his Mucranoid layer kept him warm, but in a different way.

"**Don't worry. Now you should finalise everything, and get back to the orphanage before the matron found out you're missing."**

Naruto just nodded and began performing small exercises to cool himself down. A sudden fact registered within his mind as he did. "You always said that bloodlines have names," Naruto asked, remembering her teachings about bloodlines. "What's the name of this bloodline?" he asked a question.

A question that will be the start of legends.

Kurumi remained silent. She never figured out the name of the bloodline. As she puzzled on this one fact, a name entered her mind. A name cool and badass enough that she knew it was the ultimate and only candidate to the bloodline's name. Naruto's eyes widened before joy spread on his face as he heard the name of the bloodline. The name echoed repeatedly in his head as Kurumi said it, a name that he will remember and treasure for his entire life.

"**The 'Astartes' bloodline."**

-BREAK-

Another lonely evening. Another empty day. Surrounded by people and kids she cared about, but lonelier than ever. Such was the thought of the matron as she sat at the kitchen, a cup of sake in her hand and its ceramic bottle in the other. Today, the third year she was alone during her only son's birthday. Today, she decided to start her drinking session early, already telling the kids to avoid the kitchen. Good kids they were, she thought with a sad smile. She glanced skywards, looking at the setting sun as it bathed its magnificent orange radiance all over the world.

The sake flowed down her throat as she drank another cup, the burn of the alcohol bringing back memories of her son. These were the times where he always appeared at her home the orphanage, his lovely wife – his chosen one, which she agreed – with his kids in tow, telling her to be ready and wear some nice clothes, for he's taking her away to some good place.

Another cup of sake flowed down her throat. Her face was already flushed, the alcohol working its magic on her as it slowly unravelled her inhibitions, once again bringing back memories of her son. She was always a bad drunk and she knew it. Yet her son never complained, never argued as they drank together at a fancy restaurant somewhere, something his father always had them do after he came to age. "A bonding moment," he always said with a massive grin as he drank another pitcher of beer with the entire family following suit.

She hiccupped once, the sound echoing within the kitchen, the thick, pungent smell of alcohol spreading within the room. Every time, the same thing, she recalled again, a drop of tear rolling down her face as she remembered her child's words. "Come live with us, mom," he always said, that good child of hers. His father may have died before he married, but that does not curb his cheerfulness.

"Always... hic! You always... hic!" she stuttered out before she took a huge drink straight from the bottle, forgoing her cup. Her face was flushed red as the spirit worked its way into her brain. "Now you're not here!" Tears fell unbidden from her eyes as she remembered everything her child did for her, almost as if replaying his life underneath her care, and consequently her life under his care. "It's all... all because of that damned demon!"

It was the reason why she lost her son.

It was the reason she lost the only family she had left.

It's the reason why so many people of Konoha lost their loved ones.

A red haze fell upon her eyes as her rage boiled over her limit. Underneath the beautiful setting sun, she leapt off the stool she was sitting on, and finally decided the fate of the demon as she briskly walked towards the demon's room, her entire face contorted with anger and vengeance.

Today, his day ends.

Painfully.

She may be close to sixty in age, but she was still strong, something she demonstrated easily as she kicked the door to Naruto's cage. The small lock exploded to splinters as she strode into Naruto's tiny room with only one purpose in mind: annihilation. "DIE!" she screamed out at the top of her lungs as rage took over every single part of her, giving her strength beyond anything she ever knew. Her foot snapped forward, kicking the surprised Naruto right in the stomach.

"I SHOULDN'T HAVE EVEN CARED FOR YOU!" she screamed again, no longer caring about anything else, only to end the life of this demon. Her leg moved, stomping the sprawled Naruto right in his stomach. His entire body contorted as he let loose a wordless howl of pain, yet the matron ignored him as he stamped his stomach repeatedly, the terrible sound of flesh meeting flesh echoing within the small room.

"**NARUTO!"** Kurumi screamed towards her small charge. Her presence was sudden as it was unwelcome, and Naruto could only look in terror as she began her beating. But she never relented. Not even as Naruto began coughing hard from her cruel, relentless beating. Kurumi acted as she usually did, her powers augmenting Naruto's incredible healing as her youki flowed underneath his skin. His injuries healed within seconds, almost as if unaffected by the matron's beating. **"HOLD ON!"**

Naruto writhed in pain underneath her heels, yet she saw no injury or even a single bruise appear on his skin, still unblemished even after her many beatings. Her rage boiled to an entirely new level at Naruto's lack of visible injury. Despite the pain her foot was in, her anger allowed her to ignore it as she continued kicking his tiny body. Naruto's ribs creaked, but his enhanced bones do not give as it absorbed every hit the matron did easily.

"You...!" The matron's angry snarl rang within the small shed as her blood haze slowly rose over her and she realised for the first time that instead of screaming in pain, her hits barely harmed Naruto. Almost as if all her efforts through the years amounted to nothing. In one gulp, she drank the remaining sake she had within the bottle she was holding, fuelling her wrath further. She bent down and grabbed Naruto's arm before pulling him up. With a single motion, she smashed the ceramic bottle on Naruto's head, breaking it with a loud crash, sending shards of sharp ceramic all over the room.

But not even a single wound appeared on his head! He stared into her eyes with a defeated look not suited to a boy of his age. Inside him, Kurumi was yelling out words of encouragement and support, and the only thing that kept him going. His eyes pleaded to the mad matron to stop this, to treat him like a regular child. Not to beat him to a pulp every time. No words came out of his mouth, for he was afraid that doing so would only cause her to thrash him further.

However, in her rage-induced mind, the matron took his stare as a challenge, almost as if daring her to go further than that. His blue eyes lacked light within them, as if giving her permission. The honest, happy shine he had within those eyes during the times he was with Kurumi disappeared like a leaf in the wind from the matron's beatings. "You... you bastard!" she screamed again. She grabbed the lip of the smashed bottle within her hands tight as her other hand gripped Naruto's hand hard. And within that grip, she felt his body for the first time. She felt the enhanced musculature he had, harder and tougher than any child his age does. She felt his toughened skin, almost leathery in feel.

"MONSTER!" she screamed out at the top of her lungs. Instead of her usual angry scream, this time, it was fear. Almost unbridled fear at the monster she had within her backyard. What was this monster, she thought. How can someone be like that?! Now that her eyes had cleared, she took a good look at the demon in her hand for the first time.

His eyes may look defeated and sad, but she saw the strange light at the back of those azure eyes; a strength unlike any other. Defeated and conceding, yet strong and unyielding at the same time. He was around three years old, yet his body was taller than any 3-year-old she ever knew, almost reaching the height of a six-year-old boy, maybe a seven-year-old boy. He did not resist her actions at all, but she could feel the strength behind his arm. His body was heavy, heavier than any 3-year-old – or even older – boy should be. And most importantly, she saw the pair of three strange grooves on his cheek, almost as if they're whiskers.

Now, more than ever, she knew that this... abomination must die.

"Why...?" came Naruto's small whisper, something that seemed to shook the matron's drunken rage. Her eyes widened in surprise as she stared straight towards Naruto's eyes, dull and defeated yet with strength behind them. "Why...?" he asked again, slow, almost like a breeze of wind, yet it seemed to echo within the tiny room they were in.

"Why...?" she echoed his question, something that Naruto nodded to in his quest for answers. "Why... you ask?" Her grip on the shattered bottle slackened slightly, the sharp tip glinting as the remains of the bottle's sake reflected what was left of the setting sun's light. A spark of hope grew within Naruto's heart as he saw this. She bent down, her face slowly coming closer towards Naruto's own, causing him to tilt his head upwards to meet the eyes of the matron.

And what he saw made both him and Kurumi shiver in fear.

Fury burned within those dark brown eyes white-hot, so hot it threatened to consume Naruto's spirit within its all-consuming heat. Hate and vengeance shone within her eyes, the cruel light so bright it almost blinded Naruto with its intense radiance. Yet all those paled to the feeling coming off her. Her entire body seemed to glow with so much anger it threatened to torch Naruto just from her touch, her body temperature increasing to a feverish level from something Naruto knows not why.

If there were a time where Kurumi hoped that eyes were not a window to one's soul, this would be it.

Kurumi's desperate yell for Naruto to get away, to save himself no matter what, to hold strong, and that she will help him in every matter was drowned as her face came so close to hers, nearly drowning Naruto with the palpable rage her entire body was emanating. Shocked by her terrible aura, Naruto could only stand still with his mouth gaping as her head came closer to his. She placed her lips right beside Naruto's ears, and what she whispered to him made his eyes widen in shock.

"Because you are the demon who killed my family."

And with a quick thrust, she drove the massive shard of ceramic straight through Naruto's stomach.

Naruto's thick skin may be capable of protecting him from scrapes and scuffles, but the sharp shard was too much for even his enhanced musculature to take. His body gave way easily, only offering token resistance against the knifelike ceramic shard, cutting through his stomach and intestines, gutting his kidney and liver. Blood stained the matron's hand red as high pressure bright red blood flowed from the massive wound. With a loud squelch she pulled out the shard, dragging Naruto's body with it. "AAAAAAARRRGH!" came Naruto's yelp of pain as he fell on the ground, a growing puddle of his own hot blood beneath him. His hands immediately went towards the massive wound, trying to hold them together even as Kurumi began working her magic from within.

The matron glared at him, not the least bit perturbed by the thick stench of blood around her or even his warm blood dripping down her hands, nor his strangely bright red blood pooling on her feet. "Die, filthy demon," she whispered slowly. She was about to turn around and left the dying demon there, lay trembling on his side as he bleeds to death when something caught her eyes. She bent down, ignoring Naruto's pained look or even his groans of pain to stare at the interesting thing she found.

The blood that was pooling underneath him before had stopped increasing. Even his trembles and shaking had stopped. Her hand shot towards Naruto's bloodied arm and pulled it away from his body. Underneath the hand was where she stabbed him, but the blood had already stopped flowing from his wound. With a quick tug she pulled Naruto to a standing position, causing him to yell in pain again. Tossing aside her makeshift knife, she took his other arm and pulled it upwards as well, displaying his naked body in front of her.

Much to her shock, the massive wound she caused was healing at a rapid rate. The gaping hole that was on his stomach closed so fast that she could see it almost as if it was stitched together by an invisible thread, the two sides of flesh joining together nearly instantly. Barely seconds after she lifted Naruto, the wound healed completely, not a single blemish or scar marking the huge gash she made there before.

"You're a monster!" she gasped out, not believing the sheer rate of recovery of this demon in her hands. "How can you heal that fast?!" Years of experience treating the wounds of kids under her care taught her that even as kids, they will still take a day or two to heal a small wound, and it will inevitably scar for days, even weeks for a tiny scratch. But this demon took a massive tear into his stomach, yet he healed in seconds! Rage erupted within her again as she knew the reason for it. "You filthy demon!"

She kicked the door open, and despite Naruto's protests, she dragged him outside the shed, his blood staining his path as he was led somewhere he had no idea. "Let me go!" he yelled even as he struggled to escape. Yet even he knew that he won't be able to fight the angry matron with his strength. His suppressed animal instincts took over him in his desperation. Wordless hiss and growls came from deep within his throat as he wrestled against the matron's iron grip, desperation fuelling his every move.

"Shut up!" she hissed. "Stop fighting!" His struggles were strong indeed, so much so that she was nearly unable to hold him steady, something no boy its age should be capable. But her boiling rage gave her strength, allowing her to drag his reluctant body, his feet scraping the earth underneath him as his blood marked a massive path to where she wanted him to be: a small cellar with a massive wooden door as its entrance, originally acting as an underground store.

She knew that with its demonic powers, it would be capable of surviving things no man can. What happened just now showed her that she couldn't just hope to kill it with regular weapons, or even by brute force. If what she just felt was any indication, he was strong – healthy, in fact – despite the food she fed it. Not to mention the fact that it is tougher and stronger than any human its age. She needed to find a way to kill it, and in the meantime, the only thing she could do is to lock it within the thickest door she had within the orphanage.

It took some time, but she finally managed to pry the door open. She flung it straight into the darkness that was the cellar, hearing its body hit the earthen floor with a small thump. "Stay there!" she yelled into the cellar, illuminated only by the disappearing sun's light. "I'll find a way to kill you soon enough!" With a loud slam she closed the door, latching the massive bolt locking the door tight before taking a lock, further securing the door.

She panted hard as she looked at the locked door, the adrenaline within her bloodstream finally wearing off. The pain and fatigue within the short moment finally came crashing to her, causing her to fall on the bloody ground with a small thump, her entire clothing bathed with blood. Taking that time to catch her breath, she looked around, taking in the sight around her. Bloody drag marks stretched from the shed where she kept it before towards the cellar. Before, it was very weak, and she wanted it to feel her pain, thus why she kept it within the shed. Now, she knew that she was wrong. She should just kill it at the first opportunity. What she did was not enough.

It was a while before she stood up, confident that the thing could no longer escape the prison she kept it in. Once again looking around her, she sighed. "I need to clean this up," she slowly said. As she stood, her face still red from the alcohol running within her system, she thought of her next moves. She needs to research of methods on how to kill a demon. Maybe have someone help her with it. Her mind was still thinking her plans as she went into the kitchen and washed her hands, cleaning the blood off her.

Unknown to her, pairs of eyes stared at her actions. The eyes disappeared, replaced with the small pitter-patter of footsteps, something that went unnoticed by the vengeful matron...

-BREAK-

"OPEN UP! OPEN UP!" Naruto screamed out as he banged on the cellar's wooden doors. He immediately snapped from his animalistic trance right after the matron tossed him into the cellar. The doors barely budged, his enhanced strength not enough to even affect the heavy door. The sound of his banging echoed within the pitch-black cellar, reflecting across the multitudes of unused items within. He turned around, trying to look for anything that can help him escape. Nearly no light entered the cellar, preventing him from properly seeing the contents of the cellar. Yet his enhanced eyesight allowed him to make out some of the shapes within the old cellar.

"Open up..." Naruto weakly yelled before he banged on the door one last time before his strength slowly flowed out of his body. Slowly he slid in front of the door, tears long since held back from the cruelty of life he went through finally flowed unabated, staining the earthen floor dark. "Please, open up... I did nothing... I never even knew your family..." he slowly sobbed as he kneeled on the ground, an indescribable sadness passing through him.

A massive lightning bolt seemed to strike Kurumi's heart as she heard Naruto's heart wrenching pleading. She knew everything, of course. However, was this a good time for him? Guilt tore her heart apart from the facts that she hid to Naruto about him. Nevertheless, no matter what, she knew that this was not the best of time to reveal everything. **"Naruto, you need to run away!"** she screamed, temporarily hiding her distress underneath urgency. **"She might just kill you!"**

Tearfully Naruto nodded, knowing that it would probably happen. In fact, if she were to just stab his throat, he might not survive. But it gave him the opportunity to run away and live his life anew, and he knew that he needed to take it. He wiped his tears at the back of his hand before he stood again, distress on his face.

The door was hotter than the rest of the room, the only thing that allowed him to view it with his enhanced eyesight. He looked at the edges of the door, feeling for any cracks or slits that would allow him to escape. Unfortunately for him, the door, despite feeling old, was sturdy and solid, something that he would never be able to break through with his own strength.

Yet he never gave up, still looking for a way to escape what might just be his tomb. And he finally found one. Light peeked from small gaps between the heavy door and its frame. His fingers were too big to slip between the gap though, so he needed a different method to open the door. Naruto immediately figured out how to escape this place: to melt the lock with his acidic spit.

The fact that the locks were outside the door does not stop him.

He quickly gathered his saliva, mentally commanding the Betcher's Glands to produce the thick acidic spit they made. He mentally calculated the location where he needed to spat, noting the location of the locks from the lack of moonlight at the gap. The gurgling sound from his throat echoed within the dark room for a short while. Finally satisfied with his aim, he spat.

The glob of thick white acid shot from his mouth, flying through the air before landing at the door with a loud plop. The powerful acid sizzled as it hits the wood, quickly burning through the door. Thick white smoke wafted from where the acid burned, yet Naruto was not perturbed the least, knowing that his Multi-Lung would quickly help him filter out the potentially suffocating smoke while his Occulobe allows him to see even through the smoke, the heat from the chemical reaction glowing orange to his enhanced sight.

Again and again he spat, creating a small crater right where the lock would be as the acidic spit burned everything it came in contact with that wasn't Naruto's mouth. The remnants dripped down on the floor, quickly burning the earth it met and creating small holes on the floor, the burning smell growing thicker with every spit.

It took him a minute to melt through the door, revealing the simple latch that locked him behind the massive door. He hacked another glob of spit that sailed through the air, and hits the black steel bar that made the latch. The blob sizzled once more, creating black fumes from the contact. It was barely seconds before the latch snapped with a loud clang, causing the heavy door to fall on its frame noisily.

Naruto braced his body on the heavy door before pushing as hard as he can with his legs. The door creaked and groaned as it slowly budged, light intensifying within the cellar as the crack around the door widened from his effort. Yet even with his enhanced strength, trying to move the door was still a massive effort as his body trembled from the effort. His twin hearts beat faster as renewed strength seemed to flow within his body from the adrenaline flowing within his body.

Moonlight streamed into the cellar as he finally managed to push the door, big enough to allow him to escape. The fresh air flowing in empowered him, giving him the strength to execute his plan. **"Naruto! Now!"** Kurumi yelled within him. Naruto needed no prompting before he kicked the ground as hard as he could, sending the door higher. In a single swift move, Naruto grabbed the earth and pulled his body out of the cellar, quickly rolling on the ground a split second before the heavy door crashed back into its frame, the noise echoing within the orphanage's concrete fence, instantly notifying the matron of his escape.

"**Naruto! Run! Run as fast as you can, and don't look back!"** Kurumi need not scream those words, for he had immediately leapt up from his original position. He quickly dashed away, going straight towards the part of the fence where he always climbed out, ignoring the alarmed yells coming from the orphanage proper. In one swift move he leapt up, grabbing the usual crack on the wall and used it as a handhold to pull himself up, allowing him to leap straight over the wall.

"NOOOOOOOOO!"came the voice of the matron from behind the wall, yet Naruto cared not for her, nor the place as he ran away as fast as possible, no destination in his mind as he did so. He was not even breathing hard despite the exertion he went through, his enhanced stamina on a completely different level to a regular person, even an adult.

Tears fell from his eyes onto the ground below with every step he took, the small splashes went unheard within the dark forest as the cacophony of the night echoed around him as his steps crushed fallen leaves and moved rocks as he ran, not caring about stealth in his hurry to escape. 'Why?!' he yelled to his inner guardian. 'Why?! I am not a demon! I'm a human! Just like her! And I did nothing! I never even knew her family! You saw everything, Kurumi-chan! You're my witness!'

"**I…"** Kurumi's voice caught in her throat as she tried to think of how to reply to Naruto's words. Should she tell him the truth? Can he take the revealed truth?

'Kurumi-chan…?' Naruto's steps slowed down, her hesitation at replying giving rise to suspicions. 'You saw everything, right? You're my witness… right?'

Naruto's pleading words was too much for her to take, nearly breaking her heart. She knew that Naruto deserved to know the truth now. It may cost her their relationship, but she knew that he must know now. She will not hide it anymore. **"Naruto… I... I know why… why she did all those things."**

'What?' Naruto's answer, although short, was enough for her to regret the decision, but she knew it's too late now. Yet, Naruto's next one-word question was actually the last straw for her to take.

"Why?"

"**I… I'm sorry, Naruto,"** she said, trying to apologize to Naruto even as her own tears almost fell, her regret and sadness clear in her distraught voice. **"But I decided to hide this until when I thought you ready, and I think you're ready now. Please don't hate me after this, I beg you."**

Naruto said nothing, only sadness and betrayal radiated outwards from him. Turning around with a shade on his eyes, he whispered, a whisper that he was sure Kurumi would listen. "We'll talk later," went his words as he turned around and ran away, his steps faster and heavier than they were before. And so, he went ahead, looking for a nice place to stay for the night so that Kurumi could finally tell him of the secret that she was keeping…

-CHAPTER END-


	7. Chapter 6: Revelations

Thanks to kylekatarn77, Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, and all the rest of you guys for helping me with the chapter. I can only give thanks to your tireless effort at helping me.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: Naruto went through the last enhancements that Kurumi can think of giving him, permanently integrating the changes into his body as a bloodline named the Astartes bloodline. She swore that she will no longer use her powers after this for she hated how godlike it was. One night, however, Naruto was once again beaten by the drunk matron, but this time, he had the body to survive. As she tried to find a way to kill him, Naruto managed to flee. But as he was running away, Kurumi dropped a bombshell, telling him she knew why he was treated as such.

CHAPTER 6: REVELATIONS

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

"**You know, Naruto. I never planned on having your body grow so fast when I created your bloodline, hehe,"** Kurumi said with a small forced giggle at the end, trying to calm Naruto down as he ran within the forest with no set destination, his senses primed to detect anyone that followed him despite his anger. The winds roared around him as he shot through the woods that gave the Hidden Village in the Leaf, Konohagakure its name. His bare feet pushed upon the rough and messy forest floor, his thick skin protecting him from everything he might have stepped on.

"**Never thought that you'd end up like this. It seems that-"**

"Shut up." Naruto's harsh words, said out slowly, stopped Kurumi's joking comments cold as Naruto continued his leap through the trees. His hand slowly rubbed his abdomen, the remnants of the pain made him flinch slightly despite the lack of any visible mark from the injury on his body. His anger boiled again from the recollection, nearly causing him to lash out at her once more.

"**Naruto-"**

"Shut up!" he hissed as silent as he could. "You…" he drew a deep breath, letting the cool night air into his three lungs to calm his raging hearts. "Wait until I find a good spot. Now is not the time."

"**Naruto…"** Kurumi slowly said, already regretting her words from before about her knowing the reason for his abuse. But still, she'll keep her promise. She'll tell him everything, and leave everything else to him. **"Alright. I'll talk later then."**

As silent as death, Naruto continued his fast movement. To his relief, no one seemed to be around this part of the forest. Thanks to the skills obtained from his frequent hunting trips, he could nearly delete his presence, making him feel just like a wild animal to anyone nearby. Through the village's many trees he ran, searching for a good location for Kurumi to tell her story.

Finally, after some searching, he found a suitable place. A small clearing filled with dried leaves with a stream running beside it, a sure sign that no one had been there for a long time. Stopping there, Naruto sniffed the air, letting his olfactory senses, enhanced by his Neuroglottis to pick up the scent of any living being lingering in the air. He smelled a wide variety of animals and plant life, but no humans around. A quick scan of his surroundings with his eyes showed no presence of any chakra signature, except for small ones barely even worth registering. Even so, he was still wary, his Lyman's Ears fixed on looking for any sounds of humans around him as he sat down in the clearing.

Sitting cross legged on the layer of dried leaves on the forest floor, Naruto drew deep breaths, letting the tranquillity of the forest seep into himself through all his senses as he sought to calm his angry heart, Kurumi silently watching from within himself. After a while, Naruto exhaled a long breath, having calmed down enough to properly talk. 'Alright,' he finally spoke to her. 'We're here, no one's here, and I think this is good enough of a place for you to talk, so talk.'

"**Okay," **Kurumi said before she drew in a deep breath of her own to explain her deepest secret to Naruto. **"Naruto, have I ever told you about Konoha's history?"**

'No. why?'

"**Then hear this story first,"** she said, telling Naruto her story. **"Once upon a time there was the Kyuubi, a being of pure chakra, an immortal, extremely powerful being whose chakra was said to radiate death and destruction. The Kyuubi was old, maybe thousands of years old. No one actually knew since no one was alive from the time it existed."**

Though still angry, Naruto can't help but listen to his mental voice with rapt attention as she told the story of the mysterious being named Kyuubi, instinctively knowing that this being would be the core of her story. Smiling as she felt this, Kurumi continued. **"The Kyuubi was a huge creature, as tall as mountains. A swipe of one its massive tails was said to be capable of creating earthquakes and unleashes tsunamis."**

Kurumi's story was interrupted as Naruto asked her 'Earthquakes…? Tsunamis…?'

"**An earthquake is a powerful shake of the earth that could destroy entire villages while a tsunami was a massive wave of water that could drown a whole seaside town without mercy. Both of them are terrible natural disasters, ones that kill many."**

'Oh. Okay!'

She smiled sadly as she heard Naruto's excited reply, knowing just how that smile would disappear as her story continued. Still expecting her fate, she continued. **"The Kyuubi was not alone however. There were more like it, collectively called the Bijuu, from the one tail, the Ichibi, to the Kyuubi, the nine tailed being. However, unlike the rest of the Bijuu, the Kyuubi was never quite seen, only being heard in rumours and hearsay."**

"**The eight Bijuu rampaged across the land for some reason, destroying everything that they came upon, trampling over each and every sign of humanity that they encountered. This caused humans to fear them, and rightly so, for they were terrible beings, beings that were seemingly interested in only one thing: the destruction of humans."**

"**Due to their power, the Bijuu were unstoppable, rampaging across the land unchecked as everything that humanity threw at them were shrugged off without any effect whatsoever. But humanity persisted and fought back, and finally found a way to fight them: the use of sealing arts."**

'Isn't that like what you told me before?' Naruto asked.

"**Correct,"** she replied. **"However, it was a high level art, unlike the basic ones that I taught you. And with seals, humanity managed to find a way to subdue them, which was to seal them within objects, a sacred kettle, for example, for the Ichibi, or so I heard. This temporarily stopped their rampage until the items that contained them finally broke, unable to contain the power that the Bijuu had."**

'Wow,' Naruto said in awe. He never thought that such a being could be sealed within an object.

"**One day, a clan managed to subdue the Bijuu, while another created seals to contain the Bijuu in a more permanent residence: a human's body. By sealing a Bijuu inside a person, the Bijuu would be better restrained than within the items. In fact, by sealing them within humans, the person who had a Bijuu within them could tap into the beast's terrible power, enhancing their own powers by a huge magnitude. They quickly became human weapons, a hidden power used to stop an entire war or to end it quickly, acting as deterrence."**

'What's-'

"**Deterrence means something that could stop someone from doing something , in this case attacking - to someone else - in this case the human weapon's village – through the fear of having the deterrent used on them – in this case, absolute destruction from the power of the Bijuu."**

'Uh… that's quite hard,' Naruto said, scratching his head. That was a new word, and it's meaning was quite confusing to him.

"**Don't worry,"** she smiled. **"You'll understand it sooner or later. Anyway, the first clan was the Senju, and the second was the Uzumaki. That's how good your clan was at the sealing arts Naruto. I'm sorry I hid this from you. But I'll tell you about it later."**

'Wow!' Naruto said in happiness. 'My clan is awesome!' he screamed inwardly, already forgetting his anger thanks to this story.

"**And I'm sure you'll be able to continue their legacy,"** Kurumi said with a smile. **"Back on track, all of the Bijuu were caught and sealed within a person – their jinchuuriki. All of them, except for one: the Kyuubi."** She edited this so-called 'historical account' quite a bit, but she'd still give the full explanation later.

'What?' Naruto asked in surprise. 'How did it end up not getting caught?'

"**Because unlike the other Bijuu, the Kyuubi hid itself within a mountain. It never showed itself, never did anything, and its existence was only known through legends."**

'Oh yeah!' Naruto exclaimed in surprise. 'You said about it earlier! No one ever really found it!'

"**Yes,"** she continued. **"However, one day, out of nowhere, the Kyuubi appeared in the world. And as it appeared, it did what Bijuu do best: destroy things."**

'Uh huh!' Naruto said, his excitement palpable. This story was getting to an interesting part!

"**It appeared from out of nowhere at the outskirts of Konoha, its massive size dwarfed everything that was in the village. Its powers shone like a beacon, rendering all sensor nin within Konoha nearly dead due to the amount of power overloading their sixth sense. It slowly walked towards the village with one goal in mind: to destroy it."**

'Wow!' Naruto said out in surprise. 'It must've been unstoppable!'

"**It was,"** Kurumi said in a sad tone, slowly getting to her part of the story. **"The ninjas of Konoha valiantly defended their prosperous village. They met the Kyuubi's march head-on, throwing jutsu and weapons at it to stop it. However, everything was in vain. Their jutsu impacted harmlessly on the Kyuubi's chakra form, the miniscule power the humans wielded splashed harmlessly on it, not even slowing it down one bit. The weapons all melted to slag the moment it came in contact with its corrosive chakra, such was the being's power that it couldn't be slowed down by any human method."**

'Wow…' Naruto slowly said in awe, his anger completely forgotten at Kurumi's storytelling. Even though there were a lot of words that he didn't understand, he was sure that he could learn about them from Kurumi later on, so he let her continue her story, not interrupting.

"**It's every step killed Konoha shinobi by the dozens. Its roar destroyed entire fortifications meant to stop human armies and sent massive trees flying like twigs in a storm. It walked towards its target unopposed, no one having the slightest bit of ability to stop it as it crushed and destroyed the walls of Konoha with a single flick of its massive tails, the powerful barriers that were made into the walls doing nothing to slow it down."**

"**The oppressive feeling of its chakra entered into the hearts of the people of Konoha like a terrible poison, the sheer level of terror that it created killing weaker willed people as the massive creature rampaged within Konoha's walls. More and more ninjas came to stop it, but nothing they did had any effect."**

'That's awful!' Naruto said in fear and surprise. 'What happened then?' Naruto asked, getting more and more absorbed in the extremely fascinating story that Kurumi was telling.

"**Suddenly, out came the Fourth Hokage, the current leader and the strongest ninja in the village with his signature Hiraishin kunai in his mouth and a baby in the other. With his one free hand he summoned his ally and good friend, the Boss Toad Gamabunta to help him subdue the rampaging Bijuu. However, even with his power and skill, Gamabunta only managed to slow the Bijuu down by a small margin, just enough for the Fourth to use a forbidden jutsu to stop the Kyuubi."**

'Wow! The Fourth must've been a very powerful ninja!' Naruto spoke again, excitement shining in his sapphire blue eyes.

"**He sure was, Naruto,"** Kurumi said with a small, sad laugh at the end. The time grew closer to when she'll have to tell Naruto the reason why he was hated. **"He uses a forbidden jutsu, the ****Dead Demon Consuming Seal ****to call upon the Death God itself to seal the Bijuu."**

'What?!'

"**Yes. The Kyuubi was so much more powerful than the other Bijuu that normal sealing methods just wouldn't work on it. The only way that the Fourth knew of to seal such a powerful being is by calling upon a being more powerful than it to seal it, the Death God. However, it came with a price. The Death God will seal the target but he will have his summoner's soul as payment. The Death God will consume their soul causing the summoner to be trapped for eternity within the stomach of the Death God, fighting forever with other unlucky souls that were trapped together with him."**

'Why did he do that?!'

"**Naruto, you must understand,"** Kurumi said. **"Being the leader of a village means that you'll have to sacrifice what you have for your village, putting it first before everything else, even your family sometimes."**

'That's terrible…' Naruto sadly said.

"**That's the price of being a leader, Naruto,"** she said. **"Anyway, the Fourth sealed the Kyuubi within the baby, since only a baby could hold the immense power of the Kyuubi back. After the sealing, the Fourth died, and the baby… he was… he was you, Naruto,"** Kurumi said slowly, dropping the bomb at the end of her sentence with a sad tone, barely holding back the tears in her eyes.

Naruto's excitement and interest quickly turned to shock and surprise at this, causing him to slowly exclaim in surprise. "W…what?"

"**Naruto, you are the prison that holds back the Kyuubi from the people of Konoha. The Kyuubi was sealed within you on the day of your birth by the Hokage. This is the reason why the people hated you, Naruto. You carry the demon within you, and their hatred of it was forced upon you."**

"B…But…" Naruto stuttered out, his mind unable to comprehend the magnitude of information that he was suddenly hit with. "T…Then…" Naruto said as his enhanced mental faculties quickly made the connection between his condition and his mysterious mental voice, one that he never even questioned the existence of before.

"**Yes, Naruto,"** Kurumi said slowly, a tear rolling from her eye into the murky water of Naruto's mindscape, her thoughts already running as to what Naruto's reaction would be. **"I am the Kyuubi, the same being that attacked Konoha three years ago."**

'B…but…' Suddenly Naruto recalled something, something from before he had his awesome bloodline. The fact was that Kurumi looked like some sort of an animal, like a fox, from the way her head looked like. A fox with strange humanlike hands with claws sharper than a knife.

And nine gentle tails that warmed him in times of cold and comforted him in his rough moments.

Quickly Naruto stood to his full height as he shook his head quickly, not wanting to accept this truth. How could he? The same thing that helped him through his terrible life, the same thing that taught him how to speak, how to do some cool ninja stuff was actually the same being that nearly destroyed Konoha one day in the past? The same being that soothed his nights, helped him survive, became his pillar of humanity was actually one that caused him to be tortured day in, day out? It's not something that he could accept, much less bend his mind around. 'But you're not the Kyuubi!' Naruto shouted back. 'You're too good! You're not evil! You're not bad!'

"**Naruto…"** she replied to Naruto's outburst. **"Naruto, no matter how you believe otherwise, I am the Kyuubi. I attacked Konoha not once, but twice. I… I hid this from you, Naruto. I don't want you to know."**

'B…but…' Naruto said slowly, his mental state in disarray due to this sudden shocking knowledge. Slowly he fell, his huge body hitting a tree trunk behind him with a thud before he slowly slid down onto the ground, a devastated look on his face as his behind hit the ground. He sat there in that position for a while, both of them saying nothing at all.

"**Naruto, I-" **Kurumi finally said to break the silence when she realised that something was wrong with Naruto.

"He he…" Naruto suddenly opened his mouth and let out a giggle, a smile slowly forming on his face. The small smile turned wider and wider, before it seemed to split his face in half as his lips parted in an insane parody of a smile, revealing his extremely sharp and hardened teeth. "Hehehe…" he chuckled again before he slowly stood to his full height.

"HAHAHAHA!" He finally laughed out loud, looking skywards in a sudden bout of insanity as tears fell from his wide eyes like rain as his entire body shook from his crazed laugh. Naruto finally snapped. How could he not? Through his entire life, he was left for dead, both literally and figuratively by everyone. He was alone, with no one to be with him, to comfort him, to console him. His only friend was a voice in his mind, the same voice that gave him strength, trained him, kept him alive, and became his company through the cold nights and the hot days and the torture, even giving him one of the most wonderful gifts ever: a bloodline, a power, not just for him, but also for his future children.

And now, that same voice was actually the reason for his suffering in the first place.

"HAHAHA!" Naruto continued his deranged laugh as tears kept falling from his eyes, lamenting everything he ever went through. The beatings, the starvation, the terror, the pain, the hurt, the loneliness, the cold, the hot, the days of torture, all of them sped through his head in a rush of memories as his broken self recalled everything that happened to him, causing his tears to fall even harder as his laugh became more and more insane.

Kurumi couldn't take this anymore! She must stop him before he became completely insane! **"NARUTO! DON'T LOSE YOURSELF!"**

"HAH!" Naruto cuts off his laugh with a scoff. "Why shouldn't I?! I… I'm tired of this!" Naruto cried out, losing his crazed visage with an unimaginable sadness as his smile abruptly disappeared, leaving a massive frown as he cupped his face with his two massive hands, the tears still flowing from his eyes. "I… I've been starved, hurt, and left alone my entire life! And just now, I found out that my only friend, one who gave me my bloodline, my power, who trained me, taught me, and kept me alive all this time, she's the reason for my pain in the first place!" His tears temporarily slowed as he spoke with a devastated tone. "Tell me. Tell me why I shouldn't just lose myself?!"

"**Because…"** Kurumi said, her tears once again falling into the waters underneath her as she prepared to unleash another bombshell in Naruto's life. **"Because your parents would be sad and disappointed at you."**

This completely snapped Naruto out of his funk as the words hit his head with the force of an avalanche. "My… parents?" Naruto slowly said.

"**Yes, Naruto. I knew your parents, and I know that they'd be completely disappointed in you,"** Kurumi said, even more of her tears falling down her face. Her memories of Kushina quickly resurfaced from within her mind. Her laughs, her tears, her happiness, her fights, her battles, her anger, all of them reappearing within the confines of her memory in display within her mind as she spoke to Naruto.

"_Hello, Kurumi! Mito-sama explained to me about you, so, nice to meet you, dattebane!"_

"_Kurumi-chan, Kurumi-chan! Look at that girly looking guy over there!"_

"_He… he saved me…"_

"_Kurumi-chan! I'm going to be a mother-ttebane!"_

"**They will be utterly, totally disappointed in you, Naruto. You're their hopes, their future, their entire lives, and yet you would just ignore their dying wish, and lose yourself in your sadness!"** Kurumi yelled to him, the memories of when she was sealed within Kushina resurfacing. She remembered her indomitable will, her strength, her unquenchable spirit, and the lovable ball of energy that she was. She recalled her never-back-down attitude, her gung-ho approach to nearly anything that she faced, and her absolute belief in the fact that no one could stop her even if they tried when she puts her mind to something. **"Your mother… she was a good person! Heck, a great person, even! She placed everything on the line to have you Naruto! Her life, her body, everything! For your sake!"**

"Then where are they now?! Where?!" Naruto screamed out loud, no longer caring if anyone heard him out in the forest, the sheer sadness of his scream scared birds away. Even nature seemed to agree as everything seemed to fade into infinite darkness, hanging over Naruto's head like a cloud. "I was tortured, hurt, broken every day, and they never even came to see me! Where are they?!"

"**They're dead Naruto! Dead!"** Kurumi yelled out, her tears no longer stopping as they poured like rain, her regret and her anger flowing together with the tears into her words, her fur bristling as everything that happened ran in her mind. **"They're dead because I killed them! I KILLED THEM NARUTO! I KILLED THEM!"** she screamed, dropping even another bombshell into Naruto's mind as she started sobbing hysterically at this fact, her regret growing even more with every drop of tear.

Naruto lost everything. He lost his emotions, his feeling, his thoughts as her words echoed like some bad music ear worm within his head, her scream bouncing off the walls of his mindscape as it registered within his entire being about a fact that he, before today, would never even thought possible. His greatest friend, his ally, his trainer, his teacher. The same pers- thing that made him what he was today. That same thing was the one that caused his life to become a shitty hellhole, and finally, was the same thing that killed his parents. "Is… is that true?" Naruto said slowly in an emotionless drawl.

"**Yes, Naruto," **Kurumi answered, her sobs already slowing down as she felt, rather than saw, Naruto snap. **"I killed your parents. No amount of regret, forgiveness I ask from you nor anything that I could do or give to you could cause you to forgive me, nor will they bring back your parents."**

"Why…" Naruto said emotionlessly as he laid down on the base of the tree trunk. His eyes looked dead, not a single tear on them anymore as the continuous revelations that were hammered on him the night took its toll on his already fragile psyche. "Why did you kill them?"

"**Naruto…"** Kurumi slowly called his name before hardening her heart. She swore that she would tell Naruto everything, and that time's today. She would not back down, not now. Sniffling her tears, she spoke. **"To explain this properly, you'll need to hear another lengthy story. It all starts when Konoha was just recently built…"**

And so, Kurumi told him the entire history of Konoha. How Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage, united the Uchiha and some other clans, creating a ground for them to work together in peace. She told him about Madara's rebellion, Hashirama's fight against Madara, her involvement in it, and how she was first sealed within someone else. She told him how she met Mito and Hashirama, about the ninjutsu that they taught her, and how she promised to be with Kurumi as they discover the chosen one that would change the world.

She opened a new chapter in her story, of how she was transferred from Mito to his mother, Uzumaki Kushina, the Whirlpool Princess. She told him of how Kushina was close to her, becoming her overly energetic friend as she lived within her, of how she stopped her as Kushina nearly went on a rampage when Uzushio was destroyed. She continued her story, telling him how her mother fell in love with his father, Namikaze Minato before they both married in secret after he became Hokage at the end of the Third Shinobi War, and how she reacted as she found out that she was pregnant with Naruto. She even told him of what happened with his mother, of the conditions of his birth, and it's sad, bloody aftermath.

"…**After that, you met me in your mindscape, and here we are now,"** Kurumi said, finally finished telling Naruto everything. At the completion of her story, she had a sad smile on her face. She finally stopped hiding secrets from Naruto, and she never thought how relieved she was as she did so. It was true what some humans said, that by opening up, you'd feel much better than if you kept secrets locked away.

Naruto… he had no idea what to think now. He nearly snapped once today, completely snapped after that, and had quite the history lesson being dumped on him afterwards. In just a few hours, he went from confused to angry to shock to completely dumbfounded to almost crazy to crazy to sane again. The roller coaster of thoughts and emotions really tore him apart. At least it culminated in him being capable of reasonable thought again. Finally, after a long period of silence, he said. "…So you were controlled?"

"…**Yes," **Kurumi answered hesitatingly.

"…I believe you," he finally said after a long pause.

Kurumi was stunned at this reply. How could he trust her so much?! She just admitted that she was the demon that killed his parents, and the reason why his life was a complete pile of shit! **"How… how could you believe me? I killed your parents! I made your life a living hell!"**

"But you didn't mean to, right?" Naruto said, his mind being capable of thinking straight once again. That much shock probably snapped him back to sanity again. Any lesser people would be broken to pieces after that. But he went through a lot ever since he was a baby, and even though he nearly went crazy just now, Kurumi's call and her history lesson really helped him return back to the rational world.

Besides, he was an Uzumaki by blood, the most stubborn, strong-willed, strong hearted people to ever exist in the Elemental Nations. If there's anyone that would snap back to reason after such a world-changing revelation, he would be it.

"…**I sure didn't, but-"**

"Then I guess that's fine," Naruto said as he stood up, dusting the dried leaves from his back. Sure, he's still hurt inside, but he understood better now. About his existence, his life, his parents' history, and a whole lot more. That was quite the shock, though it helped him put his mind back on its track.

"**B-but I…"**Kurumi stuttered out before she shouted. **"But what if I'm lying?! What if this is just a ploy for you to forgive me?!"**

This stopped Naruto cold. What if what she just said was true? Was she lying? Was she just making a sob story for him to forgive her? Naruto closed his eyes before running through everything that Kurumi just said, thanks to his photographic memory. Finally, he came to a conclusion. "Because you're not. Your feelings, your thoughts, all of themreal. I can feel it, you know. Your feelings, they were clearly visible. You cannot lie about that feeling." He then had a small smile on his face as he continued, no longer speaking out loud. 'Besides, you asking that question just proves that you're not lying, you know.'

Shocked, Kurumi could say nothing as Naruto's reasoning hit her in the head. What he said was absolutely true. He could feel her feelings, just as sure as she could feel his, thanks to the seal's weak structure, probably purposely made by Minato so that Kurumi could more easily communicate to Naruto. '**Minato… you are truly a great man,'** Kurumi thought. '**Now I understand completely why Kushina married you. You'll be happy to know that your son inherited the same greatness as you.'** However, she can't help but give Naruto a lesson in life right now. **"But Naruto, always remember that not everyone would say something like that truthfully. There are many liars in the world, and some of them are so skilled at lying that they could even fool your emotions,"** she said.

'I know, I know…' Naruto said as he straightened himself to his full height, stretching out the kinks from his long period of sitting down on the ground.

"**So… are we friends?"** Kurumi asked hesitatingly, still afraid that Naruto would not accept her as a friend.

'Of course!' he happily replied without hesitation, his blinding smile on full display in the real world even as his eyes light up with happiness. He may have been stuck with the killer of his parents and the reason for his terrible life, but never let it be said that she wasn't also his one and only friend in the entire world. 'Forever!' he added, just to be sure.

Not like he didn't want that.

"**Friends forever,"** Kurumi said happily as she wiped her remaining tears with her forehands, her sadness and regret turning into happiness and determination at Naruto's cheerful words. '**Kushina, Minato, know that your son is a great man. You could not have a better child, I'm sure. And know that I will be with him until he dies, or until the end of time.'**

Looking around the darkness of the night, using his Occulobe to its full capabilities, Naruto said to Kurumi. 'Still, I never thought that my parents would be the Fourth Hokage and a princess.'

"**That makes you royalty, you know," **Kurumi responded. **"Both of Konoha and of Uzushio, if the latter still existed."** A certain thought then nibbled at the back of her mind. **"You bounced back awfully quickly just now, Naruto. You nearly went insane before, and you snapped back quickly just to accept everything in stride. How come?"**

Naruto just shrugged at this. 'Well, I think that history lesson must've given me some time to think out everything. Your feelings that reached me helped as well, together with the fact that you're not lying. Also, you gave me this kickass bloodline!' Naruto happily exclaimed before he scanned his area with his Occulobe, letting his Lyman's Ears catch the voices of everything around him. 'There's no way someone that could – and would – give me this awesome bloodline also be a bad person, now that I think about it.'

"**That's very kind of you, Naruto. Do not lose that kindness Naruto, for it is what makes you." **Kurumi said, a smile gracing her face even as she lay herself down on the foetid waters of Naruto's mindscape.

'I won't,' he said, determination pouring from every pore as he said so. 'Still, what do we do now?' he asked Kurumi for directions. 'We have no place to stay, no home to go back to, and I'm not sure the Third would be happy if he were to meet us in this condition.'

"**You're right. That old man will definitely be unable to accept that the baby he left at an orphanage ended up being a superhuman with a bloodline that came from the Bijuu within him,"** Kurumi said before she voiced her idea. **"For now, what about if we walk through these woods first, maybe look for something to hunt and eat, then we'll see."**

'Okay,' Naruto said, agreeing with her suggestion as he walked in a random direction, one that he did not come from just now. They had nothing else to do anyway. And so, he walked silently through the forest, keeping himself low and covered, in case someone saw him. Though the matron already knew about his changes, the rest of Konoha still didn't, and he might just be captured by Konoha ninjas and be accused of being an infiltrator, trying to get into Konoha for unscrupulous reasons.

Through the night he walked, no set destination in mind, his bare feet stepping on the undergrowth of the woods as silent as he could, his enhanced eyes enabling him to see through the darkness of the forest without any difficulties whatsoever, not missing a single detail with every sweep of his eyesight. 'Hey, Kurumi-chan?' Naruto said suddenly, breaking through the silence between the two.

"**Hm?"**

'What about... what if we leave this place?' Naruto suggested. 'No one liked us, no one cared about us, and I think it would be better if we were to just leave this village.'

"**Hmm..."** Kurumi hummed, contemplating Naruto's suggestion. She understood that what Naruto said was true. It was also a good idea, being able to give Naruto some experience in life. However, this was still his hometown, and she was damn sure that old Sarutobi had a reason why he never checkedNaruto at all. **"Very well. How about this? We'll leave this village, travel the world, and came back in a couple years. While doing so, I'll teach you everything that you need to know while having you train your skills outside."**

'Whaaat?' Naruto whined. 'Why do I have to come back? No one likes me here!'

"**Naruto,"** Kurumi said, trying to persuade Naruto. **"No matter how people may hate you, this is still your hometown, the place where you were born. Besides, this was also the home of your parents. Leaving this place for another almost seems like betraying their memories, does it not?"**

Naruto thought about this a bit as he slipped past some low hanging branches. Finally, he sighed. 'I guess you're right,' he said. 'Besides, the people just didn't understand you so well.'

Kurumi's ears perked up at this. **"What do you mean?"** She asked.

'Well, think about it!' Naruto said. 'They never knew you, never met you. They only knew you as the demon that attacked Konoha, when you're actually a good person! They just need to understand you!'

"**I... I guess,"** Kurumi replied hesitatingly. What Naruto said had a point. They never knew her, never understood her, and never talked with her. Their preconceptions about her were completely wrong, and nothing that anyone said about her could fix that. Kurumi was totally amazed at Naruto's reasoning, so she asked. **"How did you get to that line of thought?"**

'Well,' Naruto began. 'Isn't our situation right now a bit similar? No one ever saw us as us, just as the demon. People saw me as you, and you as... well, maybe as destructive as your siblings. The truth is that you only attacked Konoha the two times because someone controlled you, not because you wanted to. Besides, you told me all those stories and gave me this kickass bloodline. No way would someone bad do that to me.'

"**Naruto..." **Kurumi said, almost crying again. She totally didn't expect this. For a child, Naruto was much, much more mature than what the entire population of Konoha was. No matter that his growth of mind was forced through years of torture, he could reach that conclusion in a very short while, unlike the people of Konoha who was too blinded by their own fear and idiocy that they failed to see him for what he was, instead seeing him as the demon that he was not. **"Thank you,"** Kurumi said with a smile, as a teardrop of happiness fell from her eyes into the waters.

She's been crying so much, it's a wonder that she's not dried up yet. Naruto's did once though, and it took such terrible despair to make them come back.

'No need, Kurumi-chan,' Naruto said with a smile. 'It's true anyway. Let's go, I guess.'

"**Yeah," **Kurumi replied slowly, watching the world through Naruto's senses as she prepared a plan of action for the two of them to run away from Konoha.

-CHAPTER ENDS-


	8. Chapter 7: First Fight

As usual, thanks to kylekatarn77, Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, and all the rest of you guys for he help.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: Kurumi revealed to Naruto about her relationship with him, and told him the reason why he was treated badly. Naruto broke down, but managed to come back, and told Kurumi that he won't mind, for she was a good creature, and he was the only one to know. He began his move to flee from Konoha, Kurumi with him.

CHAPTER 7: FIRST FIGHT

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

They continued on their journey through the night, with Naruto walking through the forest as silently as possible, his eyes looking everywhere for anything of note. Finding nothing so far, Naruto didn't slow down from his walk, still without a destination in mind, except somewhere out of Konoha.

Suddenly, his Lyman's Ears caught a very peculiar sound coming from the distance, like someone travelling through the forest at high speeds. Curious, Naruto trained his ears onto the source of the sound and decided to follow it, silently treading the forest to look for its source.

"**Naruto? What's wrong?"** Kurumi asked him, just waking up from her nap, a massive yawn accompanying her return of consciousness. Seeing forests all the time causes boredom too, especially when you're trapped with nothing else to do.

'Nothing,' he replied. 'I heard something. Just going to check it out. Go back to sleep,' he said in reply. There's nothing to worry about anyway. Maybe just some stray forest cat or something.

"**No. I'll stay,"** Kurumi replied back. **"I'm supposed to be your companion. I cannot just leave you to meet something strange alone."**

Naruto shrugged at this. 'Suit yourself,' he said before he began his tracking effort in earnest. Sneaking through the woods, Naruto's senses were trained directly at the source of the sound. Thanks to his Lyman's Ears, he heard the sounds of breathing, the parting of foliage and heavy footsteps, one that definitely did not belong to an animal.

It belonged to a person.

Curious, Naruto continued, until finally, he saw his query. The man was wearing an all black ensemble, with the face covered within a cloth mask. His entire gear screamed 'ninja', and with the way he moved, it showed his skill level. Naruto, already having assimilated the experiences of a number of animals, managed to combine everything which allows him to be as sneaky as possible, preventing his prey from noticing him. And since his Occulobe could see his body heat, the ninja had no way to hide from Naruto even if he tried. But what made Naruto suspicious of this person was the sack at his back, a regular bag that for some reason, had a heat signature coming from it.

'Kurumi-chan, look at that,' Naruto said to Kurumi. 'What was that?'

Kurumi was watching the same thing through Naruto's enhanced eyesight, and reached the only conclusion that she could. **"I think this man is a kidnapper. That heat signature looks just like a small child's, almost like the kids at the orphanage."**

'Yeah, you're right,' Naruto replied back. 'I'm going to surprise him, see how he reacts.'

"**Naruto, wait-"**

Kurumi didn't have time to finish her words before Naruto leapt ahead of the man. '**Oh no,'** she thought. '**This is not good. He's too rash.'**

"Stop!" Naruto said as he landed in front of the man, a hand in the air to stop him. "Who are you, and what are you doing with that kid?!" Naruto yelled at the man.

"Shit!" The man cursed under his breath as he stopped from the sudden discovery from this boy. Who the hell was this in front of him?! He was Kumogakure's Head Ninja, the second-in-command of the Raikage himself. He was here as part of a Kumo delegation to sign a peace treaty with Konoha, even as he was assigned a secret mission of his own: to kidnap a member of the Hyuuga clan to be used as breeding stock to strengthen Kumo.

The plan worked swimmingly. He slipped into the clan compound of the Hyuugas and managed to kidnap one of the children in the compound, an unmarked one in fact! Everyone knew about the Hyuugas and their Caged Bird Seal, where it prevents the one with the seal from having an offspring with the Byakugan. However, much to his own luck, he managed to grab the child of the clan head himself, Hiashi Hyuuga! And now, he was running away from the compound, the girl safely drugged in the sack behind him, sleeping soundly.

But it seemed that his luck had come to an end. Somehow, he was discovered by this tiny shrimp of a boy in front of him. How the hell did he find him?! Or rather, how did he hide from him? And he's completely naked to boot! And he bet he's a civilian, what with the minimal amount of chakra he had from what he could feel.

Realising he's discovered, he made a very plan: kill all witnesses.

In one move the ninja stuck a hand in his weapons pouch at his waist before his hand swung forward, releasing a brace of kunai towards the tiny boy. 'It's over,' the ninja thought to himself with a grin. It was just luck that the boy managed to sneak past him. That luck ends now, and he won't leave any evidence of the kid's death. This boy won't even slow him down.

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the three flying knives heading towards him, ready to kill him. His enhanced body began acting immediately as adrenalin flooded his body in an instant, the flow accelerated from his twin hearts and his enhanced blood. Time seemed to slow down for Naruto as his body moved. His legs pumped, sending him aside with a short leap as his hand rose up in front of him. He dodged the flight trajectory of the kunai, but his hand snatched one of the airborne kunai as it passed beside his head, grabbing hold of it as the rest flew away, hitting the ground with a small thud.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Naruto's perception of time recovered immediately. With both his foot on solid ground, he looked at the kunai he had in his right hand and towards the man standing still about thirty metres away from him. 'What was that?!' he quickly asked his inner demon, not expecting the movement he just made.

"**That was probably your reaction speed,"** she reasoned, confusion tinged her voice. She already knew that her enhancements gave him better senses, memory and reaction speed, but she never expected it to be that fast! She always knew Naruto was quick from the way he hunted the small critters of the forest, but not like that. And not even during the matron's beating barely a couple hours ago that he can dodge her. What prompted this change?

'He's coming!' Naruto quickly yelled inwardly as he saw the ninja stopped gaping at his action before once again taking out a kunai, but this time, holding it in his one free hand. In a split second the man disappeared, his form nothing more than a blur as he appeared in front of Naruto, kunai pulled back to stab him.

Naruto's Occulobe caught the man's movement, allowing him to quickly react. His kunai met the man in a shower of sparks as his hand rose to deflect it. The man didn't stop with that one failure however, and pushed on with his attacks. His kunai swipes continued, rapidly combining a flurry of slashes and stabs to overwhelm Naruto. With economical movements, Naruto blocked each and every single attack with his kunai, the clangs echoing within the forest. His hand trembled as the strength of the man shook through it, nearly causing him to let go of his kunai, yet he held on, doing his best to deflect the man's attacks.

A flicker of movement from the ninja caught his senses, causing him to spin his body, avoiding a quick kick. The kick turned into a stomp that Naruto leapt away to dodge, the foot hitting nothing but the ground with a thump. Naruto's hand moved, reflexively throwing the kunai towards the man but his sloppy toss was easily caught by the ninja who tossed it back to him with deadly accuracy, the kunai whistling as it cut through the air towards Naruto.

Instead of catching it, he leapt sideways again to dodge it. But at the corner of his senses a speeding object caught his attention from his sides, and only a fast duck prevented him from being clipped by the man's kick. Once again, the man's kick turned into a stomp as he stepped on Naruto's prone body. He rolled sideways to dodge it before curling his body and kicked the ground, sending him flying towards the ninja.

That turned out to be the wrong move as the man's fist came speeding towards the side of his chest. Unable to dodge, Naruto took the hit head-on. His enhanced physique absorbed the impact as the force pushed him away, sending him crashing to the ground. He immediately leapt backwards, standing straight in the face of this ninja's powerful onslaught.

The Kumo nin shook his hand, feeling the sheer hardness of the boy's ribs. What the hell was that made of?! It hurt like hell! He glared at the boy standing between his way and escape to glory, not believing that a mere boy managed to tie him like this! He needed to end this quickly. His legs bent down, ready to leap towards the boy in front of him.

'What was that?!' Naruto quickly asked his demonic protector. 'How am I able to move like that?!'

"**Must be all those experience from the animals you ate, combined with your body's own quick reaction time,"** Kurumi suggested. This was something worth investigating more, especially since he never showed such a talent before. But before she could speak to him further, Naruto's senses warned her of the man's actions. **"Naruto! Look out!"** she screamed out within Naruto's mindscape.

Naruto's attention went back towards the ninja, only to find him mere feet away from him. A quick scramble allowed him to dodge the ninja's rush. He spun on his feet, the sack behind him swinging unsteadily as he tried backhanding the slippery Naruto. With a quick leap he dodged the attack, landing right beside the thrown kunai sticking out from the ground. Quickly he grabbed two of them and dashed straight towards the ninja.

He deftly drew a kunai from his weapons pouch as he watched Naruto's mad rush towards him. Naruto's arm clumsily swung the two blades, but the angry ninja blocked each and every one of his attacks easily. Yet he felt each blow, something that shouldn't be possible. His opponent was just a kid, yet he had so much difficulty with him?! Chakra flooded his coils, increasing his speed and strength to overpower Naruto's. His kunai clanged with Naruto's, but with a quick twist of his hand, his sharp kunai dug into Naruto's hand, cutting his wrist.

Naruto yelped in pain as his body involuntarily reacted, causing him to quickly let go of the kunai in his hands, both of them dropping to the ground from the ninja's attack. Naruto took a step back, his hand clamping on his already healing wound, stopping the blood flow, not helped with his twin hearts pumping blood at a rapid rate. The ninja saw this and closed in, his kunai leading his movement as he stabbed Naruto right underneath his chin.

Or he would if Naruto didn't quickly leapt backwards, hand still grabbing his wrist. **"Naruto! How's the wound?!"** Kurumi yelled within him, wanting to immediately go into action and help heal him, her powers already building up behind her.

'It's fine now,' he said, letting go of his bloody hand. Where the massive cut was, only a small line of red remained, and even that was quickly fading away as his body finished healing himself. 'It's completely healed.'

The ninja looked at Naruto's healing with eyes wide. He just cut his wrist! That should at least cause a bleed-out! Yet the kid just stood there, the wound already healed! What kind of monster was that?! Even the amount of blood that was on his hand didn't match the severity of the injury that he went through! Seems that he needed to be serious against this kid. He glanced at the sack behind him. 'This thing is bothering my movement,' he thought.

Naruto was shaking his hand, trying to regain the feeling from his recently healed wrist when he saw the ninja heading towards a nearby tree, putting the sack on his back on it. **"Naruto!"** Kurumi called out. **"He put the sack down! You can just run to it, grab it and get away!"** Naruto nodded slightly, agreeing with her plan.

But before he could enact his plan, the ninja disappeared from his sight. Only Naruto's enhanced reaction speed allowed him to see the ninja's quick stab towards his neck, another killer blow. He sidestepped it, but the nin continued stabbing him, causing Naruto to constantly dodge.

Too absorbed in dodging, Naruto failed to see the ninja's leg rise into a kick, hitting his chest hard and sending him flying away. He recovered quickly, skidding to a halt on the ground. Quickly he dashed forward, wanting to meet the ninja once more. The ninja clicked his tongue, annoyed. The boy was getting on his nerve now. He must finish this before he can take more time here. He pulled out a brace of shuriken from within his weapons pouch, holding them all between his fingers.

Naruto saw the flying shuriken almost a mile away as the ninja tossed them his way. He quickly dodged the flying stars of death, his run not even daunted by the flying steel. But he barely saw it as the nin appeared in front of him, hand cocked back. The punch to his temple caught him off guard, the chakra enhanced strength of the nin nearly rattling his brain.

That one hit stopped Naruto's run completely, a chance which the ninja took immediately. A punch slammed into Naruto's face before a flurry of blows hit his midsection, only his enhanced body holding him steady on his place. The ninja stopped for a short moment, his hand sore from punching him. Naruto stood dazed from the combo, a chance the ninja took in an instant. He grabbed Naruto's head, slamming a powerful knee straight into his face that nearly broke his nose. Again and again the ninja slammed his knee into Naruto's face, feeling the blood flowing. Not from Naruto, but from his knee as it tore on Naruto's hardened teeth. His knee was sore and wounded from his constant attack, yet Naruto didn't even look like he's going down anytime soon. He chose a shorter route.

He let go of Naruto's head, allowing Naruto to recover completely. But before he could act, the man's had quickly snatched his neck, throttling him. The ninja lifted Naruto's body into the air, his face taut in anger as his hand tightly gripped Naruto's strangely tough neck. A feeling of satisfaction arose in him as he saw the veins bulging on the boy's neck as his eyes widened from the lack of oxygen, his mouth opened wide. The boy's hand weakly tried grabbing his own to stop him, yet his chakra enhanced strength was more than what the boy could handle. "I don't know what you are, but you've slowed me enough," he hissed. "I can't use my jutsu, but I will still kill you, you annoying little shit!"

"**Naruto!"** Kurumi roared within the mindscape, worry clear on her face. **"Hang on!"** She knew she cannot use youki now, but she was doing her best to urge Naruto's body to recover from the man's onslaught.

Yet Naruto cannot hear all this as his vision slowly began to darken, having had the blood flow to his brain cut from the man's powerful choke. 'This is it,' he thought. His hearts began pumping even faster as it tried to circulate oxygen to his brain, the only thing slowing his demise. He could even feel a small tingle at the top of his head, a sign that the Sus-An Membrane was kicking in to put him in a deathly state. 'I am going to die. That matron didn't kill me, and now someone else came to finish the job,' he softly said.

"**NARUTOOOOO!"**

Kurumi's loud scream snapped Naruto from his defeatist thoughts, bringing with it a new lease of strength, a last gasp of air for him. An idea sprouted in his mind, the only hope he had within the dire situation. He pulled every last strength within himself, and with a loud gurgle he gathered every single remaining spit he had, his mouth's Betcher's Gland quickly acting from his mental command.

And with the last of his breath, he spat right at the ninja's face.

The ninja saw the ball of spit coming towards his face, but he was unable to react, having his hands occupied from choking Naruto. His anger boiled at his action. How dare the boy mock him! 'It was his final worthless vengeance anyway,' he smirked inwardly. With a wet plop the wad of spit splashed on his cheek, only had enough time to slightly dodge it.

He was about to say something when he felt something strange from where the spit hits him as he heard a sizzle from the very same spot. He was about to wonder where it came from when a massive pain began jolting through his body right where the sizzling came from. His eyes saw the aftermath though as a small mist of red began hovering from the location as the smell of burning flesh hit his nose.

The pain, so intense and tortuous overrode any natural sense in his mind, causing him to let go of Naruto. As Naruto fell on the ground, he coughed and hacked, spitting the last of his drool on the ground as he panted, taking in precious oxygen he was deprived of earlier. He coughed a couple times, getting the pain out of his system. As soon as he did, his eyes turned towards the ninja, and the sight he saw made his eyes widen in fear.

The ninja was flailing, nearly his entire cheek melted from his spit, the acid quickly turning his blood into red mist. The wound does not stop there however, as the mixture of blood and spit flowed down his face, burning straight through his skin, revealing white bone of his jaw. "AAAAAAARRRGGHHH!" he screamed, his terrible pain echoing within the loud scream. His hand quickly went towards his face, trying to wipe it off. Yet the thick liquid only stuck to his hand, quickly burning through the thin layer of skin on his palm. "AAAAAARRGH!" came his bloodcurdling scream once more as the acid spit made short work of his skin and muscle, quickly eating to his bone.

Naruto watched this sight in horror, his mouth gaping from the extent of injury a single wad of his acidic spit caused. He knew that it was quite strong, but he never knew how strong. 'Kurumi-chan!' he called out to his inner demon. 'Was it supposed to act like that?!'

Kurumi watched the scene from Naruto's eyesight, and regretted her actions as she saw that the man's palm had visibly melted, the acid nearly going through his fifth metacarpal bone as his blood poured non-stop from both excruciating wounds. **"I..."** she hesitated. She knew that the acidic saliva could melt through metal and rocks, but she never expected it to burn through someone that rapidly. **"I don't know,"** she said, her tone nearly apologetic. **"When I made the Betcher's Glands, I wanted them to be capable of melting steel and rocks. I guess that means that it really should melt someone's hand like that."**

Naruto turned his face away as the sizzling sound stopped, a sign that the acid has finished its chemical reaction as the man was still whimpering in pain, the skin surrounding the cauterized wounds red and raw due to the acid. 'Why didn't I feel anything like that when I eat?!' Naruto asked questioningly. 'That should've melted my entire mouth! And my innards!'

"**You're different,"** Kurumi answered back. **"Your entire body was modified and has adapted to your acid spit, enabling you to survive it completely without any issues. Besides, if it does, your body could heal as fast as it could melt it,"** she added next. A terrifying prospect, but at least it confirmed that he won't be killed by his own body anytime soon.

Nodding his agreement silently, Naruto avoided his eyes from the man's terrible injury, though his ears caught the sound of the man lay down on the ground unmoving, passed out from the pain of having parts of his hand melted to nothingness. Satisfied and horrified that he was down for the count, Naruto walked towards the sack that the ninja placed aside. Opening the sack, he saw the girl within it.

The girl had dark blue hair in a hime cut with a face so white it almost seemed that there was little if any blood within her face. Her face was calm and her breath even, a sure sign that she was still sleeping in her plain white pyjamas. The drug that he used must've been very effective if she was capable of sleeping soundly despite being kidnapped. Naruto looked back towards the man, still lying on the ground. 'A kid? What would he want a kid for?'

"**There are a lot of reasons why someone would want to kidnap a child. For ransom, for their lineage, for their body, there are a lot of reasons,"** Kurumi answered.

His face scrunched up in disgust as Kurumi said this. 'That's terrible! How could they do that?!'

"**It's all because of greed, Naruto,"** Kurumi said slowly. She knew about human's greed. She understood better than most, having been controlled twice due to greed and pride. **"Human's boundless greed. That's the reason why I was controlled. Because of someone's greed."**

'Well, if humans did all that, I won't!' Naruto swore. For the life of him, he wouldn't just betray the trust his parents placed in him, the trust that he would grow up to be a strong person that would bring peace to the world. He would not betray their memories by allowing himself to do such dastardly deeds. 'And if I were to forget that, I'll have you smack some sense into me!'

"**Aww, thanks for trusting me so much, Naruto,"** Kurumi said with a smile. He was a really good person, despite being so young. All that revelation, his terrible life, and his forced maturity due to his sudden bloodline must've made him what he was, not to mention what his parents were like. **"And don't worry, I will."**

'Thanks!' he replied happily, thankful because he managed to stop a heinous act, and because he managed to gain Kurumi's cooperation to stop him if he were to walk the same path. He looked towards the girl in his arms and the downed man. 'So what should we do now?' he asked Kurumi.

"**Better wake that girl up first,"** she suggested. **"We don't know where she came from, so it's better for us if we were to get her up and talking first."**

'Right.' Placing the girl in a sitting position on top of the sack, Naruto held her shoulder to steady her position before he slapped her cheek lightly with a single finger to wake her up. "Hey," he whispered. "Wake up. Rise and shine," he continued, giving a teensy bit more strength in his one fingered slap as he tried to wake her up. "Wake up, princess," he said again.

The girl started to stir all of a sudden before she yawned cutely, stretching her arms. Her eyes opened, revealing a pair of lavender shaded pupilless eyes. Feeling that she wasn't at her bed at home, she groggily looked around to get her bearings, trying to see where she was. And much to her surprise, the first thing she saw was a messy tuft of blonde hair on a face with the bluest eyes she ever saw in her short life.

"**Oh. A Hyuuga,"** Kurumi said.

'A Hyuuga?'

"**Oh yeah, you didn't know,"** Kurumi said. **"Other than the Uchihas and Senjus, there are other bloodline wielders as well that joined during the creation of this village, among them the Hyuugas. See their white eyes?"**

'Uh huh.'

"**Those eyes are capable of seeing everything around them, together with the chakra points of any living beings that are within their range. The eyes are capable of seeing through nearly everything and everywhere at once, giving them the nickname 'the all-seeing eye', or the Byakugan, officially. They are the best taijutsu users in the world with their bloodline, being capable of blocking the chakra points of their enemies with a taijutsu style called the Gentle Fist that works in tandem with their capability to see chakra points from their bloodline."**

'Wow! Sounds awesome!'

"**They sure are, though I think yours is better."**

'Of course!' Naruto merrily responded. 'After all, you made it!'

"**Thanks for the praise,"** Kurumi beamed. **"Though…"** her voice trailed as she thought of the possible reasons that the kid would be here. And from what Naruto just went through, she knew immediately why. **"She was actually about to be kidnapped and turned into breeding stock to raise Byakugan users for another ninja village. I don't want to point fingers, but maybe it's Kumo."**

'How so?'

"**Your mother was nearly kidnapped for the same reason, remember?"** Kurumi replied to Naruto's question. **"Though, that's just what I think. Maybe someone else, maybe she's just unlucky."**

While Naruto was having the mental conversation with his tenant, the recently roused Hinata was staring straight at the face of her saviour. Looking at this strange person, she noticed his bright blonde hair and the sky blue eyes as it stared into space. Her mind quickly asked a variety of questions, all trying to make sense of her situation. 'What? Where am I? Who is this? I was sleeping just now. How did I get here?' a huge number of thoughts ran in her sleep-addled mind even as she started shivering in fear.

A slow tremble that was felt in his hands caused Naruto to look at the source, and saw the utterly terrified face of the tiny girl in his hands, her lips quivering as her eyes started to water from the fear that she was experiencing. All of a sudden, an ear splitting scream ripped from her tiny mouth as she cried out as loud as she could towards anyone that might listen.

"EEEEEEK!"

Shocked, Naruto quickly let the little girl go, causing her to fall on her backside as he furiously jumped back, keeping a distance away from her. "Hey, hey! Don't cry! I did nothing!" Naruto said to try to calm her down, flustered at the girl's sudden crying.

This only caused her to shriek even harder. "EEEEEEEEKK!"

"Don't worry, little Hyuuga girl!" Naruto said again. "Look over there! That guy's the one that tried to kidnap you! I just saved you!"

The girl looked to where Naruto pointed, only to see the lying figure of her kidnapper, still out from the pain of having his hand melted. The little Hyuuga quickly assumed the worst and immediately started calling out for her father, still in the same loud volume that she had before.

"FATHEEEEEERR!"

'Ah crap,' Naruto thought. 'She's calling out for her father now! I'm screwed!'

"Missy," Naruto said, his hands open, showing just how nonthreatening he was. "Your father's not here, and you have just been kidnapped by that guy. So please, don't cry," Naruto said in the most non-threatening and gentle tone that he could. "I'm harmless, see?"

The little girl's tears and sobs slowly started to stop as she felt that the boy in front of her had no evil intentions at all. However, the words he used weren't something that she was familiar with. Still sniffling as she wiped her runny nose, she slowly said, "Kidnapped...?"

"Uh, yeah," Naruto replied lamely, his eyes darting every which way in fear and surprise. "It, uh... It means that someone took you out of your home."

The girl slowly levelled a finger towards Naruto who watched in anticipation and fear at her actions, wondering what kind of thoughts she had in her mind as she did so. Finally, she said. "You... did?"

Naruto quickly shook his head at her accusation. "No!" he said, quickly stopping her. He then pointed his finger towards the fallen man. "He's the one who kidnapped you!"

"He...?" the girl said, turning her head to look towards the fallen man. Quickly her already assuaged fears rose up again, causing her to tremble harder as she looked towards the figure of Naruto in front of her. "EEEEEEEKK!" She screamed again, her fear much more noticeable this time than before.

'Ah crap…' Naruto sighed as he watched this sight. Her incessant screaming was driving him nuts! She was going to call everyone to her location now! 'What should I do now?'

"**I don't know. Try moving closer to her, hold her, whatever."**

Nodding at her suggestion, he slowly inched towards where the girl was. "Girl… what's your name?" he asked at the still sobbing girl.

Sniffling, she tried to answer in fear as she watched this boy slowly creeping towards her, causing her to crawl backwards in fear as tears still fell from her eyes and her entire body still shaking. "H-h-h-hyuug-ga H-h-hinata," she slowly said.

"Okay, Hinata-chan," Naruto said to her slowly with a very familiar honorific before he heard Kurumi suddenly scoffing at him. 'What's so funny?!' he yelled out mentally.

"**It's just… I think you're no older than she is, you know,"** Kurumi said to her charge.

Naruto actually stopped at this, causing him to rethink himself. Sure, he may have a kickass bloodline that gave him enhanced growth and mental capabilities, but he was just 3 years old. 'That had nothing to do with this right now! Help me!' he pleaded to his tenant, trying to have some of that ageless wisdom of hers in helping with his current situation.

"**Don't want to,"** she replied. **"I want to see how you handle this,"** She added with a snicker on her lips.

Mentally cursing his fate of having such a playful fox in his mind, he continued his slow walk towards Hinata's location. "Okay, Hinata-chan," he said again. "I have nothing against you, but can you please stop crying," he said as he gets even closer towards the still crawling Hinata. "Now," he said. "I'm sure that everyone would've heard you by now."

As soon as he said that, he heard the voices of people coming from a ways away, their calls and voices definitely showed that they managed to locate where she was. 'Shit!' he cursed again for the umpteenth time today.

"**Language, child!"** Kurumi chastised him, quickly getting back to her serious mode. **"I think they heard her. We cannot stay longer if we want to leave Konoha. That man must've had an escape route ready. Let's look for it."**

'Right,' Naruto mentally replied before he went towards Hinata as quickly as he could, surprising her before he placed one finger on her lips and looked straight into her lavender shaded eyes, completely stunning her with the strong yet gentle touch. "Hinata-chan," he said slowly. "You're safe here, as long as the man doesn't wake up. There are people coming here, and they will save you and probably capture the man. I'm leaving now, so take care," he said before he stood up. Sniffing the air for the scent of his would-be pursuers, if any, he quickly ran away into the dark forest, as silent as death.

Hinata's eyes followed the disappearing back of this boy that helped her, her young mind taking stock of his unkempt blonde hair and his body, muscular and tough despite the potential age of the young boy. Her terrified mind stored everything with alarming accuracy, though she will be unable to recall them in its immediate aftermath.

The fact that he's stark naked does not even register in her terrified mind.

Meanwhile, the man started to twitch and slowly shook before he sat up, holding his hurting hand, still trembling from the immense pain. 'Fuck! Who or what the hell was that?!' he cursed before the sound of a small gasp caught his ears. Looking at the source, he saw that it was from the same girl that he tried to kidnap just now who was awake somehow, sitting on top of the sack that was carrying her. "Shit!" he cursed before he ran towards the girl, intent on capturing her despite his injuries.

"YOU WILL NOT HARM MY DAUGHTER!"

A shout echoed through the dark forest before a man, wearing a white loose shirt with the Hyuuga symbol of a flame in the middle of a circle at the back of the shirt with a dark haori on it came from the other side of the forest as he dashed quickly towards the man, his palms alight with chakra. He saw the man as he ran towards his daughter, ready to end the life of her kidnapper in an instant, his Byakugan activated.

With his injuries, the Cloud ninja was completely surprised as Hyuuga Hiashi, Hinata's father, appeared right in front of him, hands ready to deliver a finishing blow towards him as retaliation for his kidnapping attempt. The man in black was completely unable to react as Hiashi's two fingers came at his head at surprising speeds, driven with fear and anger towards him. 'Shi-' His last curse was cut off by the jolt of chakra that Hiashi's fingers shot out straight into his brain, liquefying it into nothing but useless meat slosh within his skull.

The man froze like a puppet whose strings were cut before his entire body slacked and fell to the ground, his black facemask stained with the remains of his brain as it dribbled out of his mouth and nose, the gore not affecting the stoic Hiashi one bit. "Hmph," he sneered at the dead man before he turned around and went towards a still sitting Hinata. "Hinata!" he yelled out. "Are you safe?!"

Hinata was still shocked from Naruto's sudden disappearance, and was unable to answer her father's question until she felt a strong hand grab her shoulder before giving it a good shake. Looking towards the source, she saw that it was her father. Immediately her contained emotions bubbled out in a torrent of tears as she recalled everything that happened. "Father!" she cried as she hugged him, her tears staining his haori.

"It's alright," he said before he surveyed the area, looking for the signs of anyone else. From the looks of the area, a battle took place there, meaning someone must've saved his daughter's life. However, they detected nothing as they approached, and even now Hiashi couldn't detect anyone in the area.

-FLASHBACK 30 MINUTES AGO-

Hiashi was having quite the tiring day today. Kumo just sent a delegate of theirs to strike a peace treaty with Konoha, one that would help Konoha with maintaining peace and stability for both their villages. And it was not just any person, it was Kumo's own Head Ninja, only of slightly lower rank than their Kage. The delegate was treated with the utmost care and importance, being the VIP of Konoha at the day. And it was completely tiring, even to him. He was looking forward to spending a night in his bed, rejuvenating his tired body for the night.

Suddenly, his wife came rushing at him from their room, her beautiful face, looking just like Hinata, was in a look of absolute fear as her kimono flowed with the wind in her urgency. "My love!" she cried out, tears flowing from her face. "I cannot find Hinata!"

"What?!" Hiashi replied back in shock, his drained body quickly forgotten in the face of this sudden shocking development.

"I cannot find Hinata!" his wife said again, her tears flowing from her eyes. "She just disappeared from her room! I was about to tuck her in for the night when I saw that she was not there! I tried calling around for her, but she was nowhere to be found! My love! What happened?!" she said, her distraught voice being carried around to everyone around them as she went and cried on Hiashi's robes.

"Do not worry," he said, his eyes hardening. "I'll find her, and I'll make sure her culprit pays." He immediately left his worried wife, intent on looking for his daughter, his sunny place. Quickly he called out the other members of the clan and started to look around for her. From within her room, they detected signs of someone breaking in, and quickly mobilized to find the tracks of the man. After a while of following it, the sight that Hiashi saw was the man trying to reach his daughter, strangely injured somehow. His anger spiked at his actions, Hiashi, in a rare moment for him, immediately lost his cold behaviour and screamed out.

"YOU WILL NOT HARM MY DAUGHTER!"

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

He immediately looked towards his daughter again. "Don't worry Hinata. You're safe now," he said. He then immediately looked her daughter in her eyes before asking. "Hinata, was there someone else here? What did he do to you?"

"Y-yes," she said, stuttering in fear and surprise and relief. "B-but he r-ran away."

"Where?!" Hiashi asked, a bit forcefully.

"I-I d-don't know," she stammered back a reply. In the relief she felt at seeing her father's looks, she immediately lost all memory of the boy.

Hiashi looked into her daughter's eyes and stood up, not even caring about the body of the dead kidnapper. However, other than the footprints from the fight, it almost seemed as if no one had been there other than the kidnapper. He looked around, trying to judge the scene better, though even his excellent deductive and observation abilities seemed to have been stumped in this situation.

"Hiashi," a voice called out to him. Turning around, he saw the figure of the venerable Third Hokage in his night robe, probably already asleep when he received the report of the disappearance. "What happened here?"

"Hokage-sama," he replied with a small respectful bow. "I have no idea. My wife suddenly ran towards me and said that my daughter," he said as he turned towards Hinata for a while before looking back to the Hokage. "Went missing as she was about to tuck her in her bed. A search of the compounds revealed that someone broke into her room, prompting me to begin a search of her whereabouts. Following a trail, I managed to find her here as that _scum,"_ he said with a venomous emphasis on scum. "Over there was heading towards my daughter. I quickly rushed him and took him down."

The Third looked towards the figure of the dead man, his blood on the ground shining, illuminated by the moon's light. He scanned his eyes over the area, taking note of everything worthy of notice and quickly reached the same conclusion that Hiashi did: someone was fighting here. "But I saw that there were signs of fighting. Did you…?"

"No," Hiashi said with a shake of his head. "When I came here, Hinata was already on the ground, with the man weakened as he struggled to reach my daughter."

Sarutobi just nodded before he looked around again, his wizened eyes looking for any clue or sign of the one who helped little Hinata. To his concealed shock, the foot that made the prints were small, like a boy's. And from the way it looked, the person would be extremely heavy in comparison to its size as well. The lack of residual chakra in the area meant that whoever that fought the man in black either didn't use chakra or was so skilled that there was no residual chakra left to monitor. He could attribute the lack of chakra to the fact that the Cloud ninja would want to avoid detection, but what about the other person?

"Hinata said she was helped by someone," Hiashi said as he stood face to face with the old Hokage. "But he ran away afterwards." He then looked at the dead person on the ground. "Also, judging by that man's injuries, he was hit with what looks like acid if the visible burns and bones on his hands were to attest."

Sarutobi remained silent as he heard this, processing everything that happened. All the evidence in the site was strange when gathered together. No trace of the other person, someone with a small body and a relatively heavy body weight, attacked with acid and ran away once people got close, not even a trace of him remaining.

The acid was stranger than the rest because it really didn't mesh with what he knew. A ninja worth his salt won't use acid unless in certain conditions like surprise attacks, torture methods or fear factor. It was too slow to use effectively in battle, too noisy for infiltration and easily creates a scent that identified its usage or presence. It is not something that a regular ninja would use, unless if it was in a massive quantity or something that was meant only to slow down someone, confuse them or debilitate them.

He looked at the dead man once again. His experienced mind quickly tried to piece together the puzzling evidence of the scene as he tried to imagine the situation. The man must've carried little Hinata in a sack, the same one that was right underneath where she was sitting. A battle occurred between the mysterious figure and the ninja. The kunai and shuriken sticking on the ground and elsewhere showed that he must have fought the mystery man, and he must be skilled to be capable of dodging the weapons that was strewn everywhere. Then, a small amount of extremely potent acid was poured on him. The pain must've caused him to black out, where the person woke little Hinata up and ran away just before Hiashi came.

Sarutobi let out a loud sigh at this. "This is, dare I quote a Nara, troublesome, to say the least. Whoever did this is skilled enough that he left no traces. All of this evidence, when compiled together, is absolutely strange. Whoever attacked that man there is a boy who uses acid in his attack while at the same time stealthier than a tiger in a forest. It's completely strange. I have heard of bloodlines or skills that cause each of those effects, but definitely not all of them at once. This is most troubling."

"No matter, I took down the culprit, and that's what's important," Hiashi said.

"True." Hiruzen then started walking towards the dead figure on the ground. "Now let us see the person behind the mask." Crouching beside the person, the Third pulled open the man's mask slowly, letting the still flowing blood out from the confines of the mask. To his surprise, the face behind the mask was none other than that of Kumo's delegate, the Head Ninja himself.

"Oh no," Hiruzen lamented, already expecting a future chain of terrible events at this. "Hiashi, he's-"

"I know who he was," he interrupted. "But he still kidnapped my daughter!" he added angrily.

"Hiashi," the Third said calmly. "I understand your stance. However, we still had a treaty with them. Nevertheless, I will do everything I can to help. But first, we need to search for the person who fought with him. We'll get some answers from him when we do."

And so, that night, a chain of events that shattered the family of Hyuuga Hiashi began, and it all started with the kidnapping attempt of his own daughter, Hyuuga Hinata, an event that will change the lives of many surrounding it…

-CHAPTER ENDS-

Read and review, please.


	9. Chapter 8: Naruto's Great Escape

As usual, thanks to kylekatarn77, Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, and all the rest of you guys.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: Naruto went into his first battle and almost died, if not for his corrosive spit melting his opponent's face. He managed to save Hyuuga Hinata after the battle, but fled as soon as he could to avoid anyone from chasing him and disrupting his attempt to run away from Konoha. Unknown to him, he haven't finished his assailant, but the presence of Hyuuga Hiashi afterwards sealed the nail in the coffin of the Kumo nin. Hiruzen arrived afterwards and investigated the site, finding evidence of a strange battle, while at the same time lamenting the political result of Hiashi's murder of the Kumo nin.

CHAPTER 8: NARUTO'S GREAT ESCAPE

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

-WITH NARUTO-

Naruto, meanwhile, was sneaking towards a potential exit from the village that his fallen opponent was going to use. He knew neither the fate of the man, nor the aftermath of his interference in his escape. For now, the main issue of his current situation was to find a way out of the village.

As he silently slipped from shadow to shadow, guided by the light of the moon, he asked Kurumi a question that was lingering in his mind since he left the battle site. 'Kurumi-chan, why didn't they detect me? I mean, my scent must've been everywhere, especially after I fought that man just now.'

Kurumi was also thinking on the same issue. A quick thought revealed the potential reason for Naruto's lack of scent. **"It probably was because of the Mucranoid. The layer probably prevented your scent from getting released."**

'But I thought you said that it needs to be activated!'

"**It seems that I was wrong. It is true that it needs to be activated, but a thin layer of it remained on your skin as a passive protection. It's odourless and nearly completely undetectable, making your stealth on a whole different level."**

Naruto remained silent at this as he continued his stealthy walk, using all the knowledge that he gained from the animals that he ate to slip past the forests of Konoha undetected. 'It seems that there's a lot that you don't know about the bloodline, even though you're the one who created it.'

"**Don't chastise me!"** Kurumi said, huffing as she crossed her large arms. **"I may have created the bloodline, but it's just my first attempt at modifying something's biological processes!"**

This got Naruto confused. 'What do you mean?' he asked. 'You never used your powers before?'

"**Nope!"** she replied cheerfully. **"When I was in Mito, she was very skilled, not needing any modifications or even much help from me. Same with your mother, she was skilled as well, and my powers were unnecessary. They only had the bleedoff of my powers from the seal, giving the two a powerful healing factor. You, however, need more than a healing factor. So, for the first time in my life, I was forced to push more and more of my powers to modify someone's body. Thanks to your father already knowing about who and what I actually am, he didn't tighten the seal too much, allowing us to interact fairly early without needing any extra… incentives."**

'So…' Naruto hesitated. 'I am your test dummy?'

"**Yup!"** she answered, a little bit too eagerly. She suddenly had a sad tone to her voice as she continued. **"I was forced to melt down a part of your organs to get enough raw material as the base for the new ones. It was not something I want to do again. Once to you is more than enough."**

'It's okay,' he said with a smile. 'What's done is done, and I became stronger for it. Just as you said before, Kurumi-chan, it gave me the abilities I need to survive with that evil matron, and that's good enough for me.'

Kurumi just smiled as she heard his words. Definitely, Naruto was someone like no other. His heart was big, big enough to fit even her in it. And from then on, she understood. Even if the world were to fall on him, even if everything went to hell, even if everything fell to pieces, he would shoulder the weight, he would drag everything back to heaven, and he would make everything right. She understood that now. Smiling in both relief and happiness, she said. **"Yeah. We'll get out of this village, train for a couple of years, then we'll return, and show just who we are."**

'We sure will, Kurumi-chan. Believe it!' Naruto answered, his own smile on his face. 'But first, we'll need to get out of this village.' and so, Naruto continued his silent trek, preventing anyone from detecting him as he walked towards the walls of Konoha. A sudden realisation struck him. 'Kurumi-chan, what happened back there just now? I was never able to move like that!'

"**I... Have no idea,"** she replied with hesitation. **"Even when the matron beat you up, you didn't react that fast. Maybe the matron's beatings and your struggle against her gave rise to a powerful survival and battle instinct within you, one that you used when against the Kumo ninja."** Naruto just nodded in agreement. It sounds quite plausible.

After a while, Naruto reached the famed Wall of Konoha. And true to form, the walls were humongous! Made of wood, the walls were huge enough, nearly half the height of Kurumi herself as Naruto stood at its foot, looking skywards towards the immense height of the walls. 'WOW!' he shouted inwardly in utter shock. 'It's massive!'

"**It is,"** Kurumi said before beginning a history lesson of the walls. **"The wall was made by Senju Hashirama once he established Konoha using his Mokuton bloodline. The walls are extremely thick and durable, and they're actually made of huge living trees. If you look closely, the roots can be seen running underground."** Naruto's eyes immediately looked towards the base of the ground. True to what she said, tiny roots were seen crawling from the parts of the walls that were underneath the ground.

'Wow!' Naruto spewed out again. 'No wonder they're so big!'

"**Yes,"** Kurumi said, continuing her tale. **"The walls were chakra reinforced, and just like anything else that Hashirama made with the power of his Sage Mode and his Mokuton, the walls are alive and more powerful than nearly any protection that could ever be made. This also means that the walls can repair and reinforce themselves, making maintenance unnecessary. And to add even more strength, Uzumaki Mito, his wife and my first host used her sealing skills to help further reinforce them and placed seals that prevent chakra from sticking to them. The only way in is through the gates or breaking down the wall, which was almost impossible."**

'Wow…' Naruto said in awe as he looked towards the massive walls again. 'They were extremely strong right? Both Hashirama and Mito.'

"**They were,"** Kurumi responded, nodding in agreement. **"Together, the two were nearly unstoppable, and were two of, if not the most powerful ninjas of their time. Hashirama gained the title The God of Shinobi during his time, though he denied it whole-heartedly, being a very humble person. However, even with all his power, he still fell in battle, facing a massive army by himself."**

No words could express the absolute reverence that Naruto had for the Shodai Hokage at this time, the thought of such a powerful man fallen in battle was such a waste, looking at how he preached peace and unity. However, as Kurumi said, human greed overcame everything, and he fell in the end, despite his strength. 'Kurumi-chan?'

"**Yes?"**

'I can be as strong as he was, right?'

"**You can, Naruto. You can be even stronger than he was, I'm sure. And I'll be with you every step of the way."**

'Thanks, Kurumi-chan!' he said cheerfully. 'I know I can count on you! But first…' Naruto said, looking at the huge wall once again.

"**Yeah…"** Kurumi sighed. **"Try looking around. Maybe there's a pathway or something for you to slip past it? Remember to look out for guards."**

Nodding, Naruto looked around, trying to spy a way to escape past the wall. He spied the lack of guards for some reason. Looking around at the huge barrier and the fact that it had no grip spots and a dizzying height, he reached a conclusion. There was only one way to get through.

Leap over it.

"**Are you crazy?!"** Kurumi yelled out at him. **"There's no way you could jump over that huge wall!"**

'But if we never try, we'll never know, right?' he retaliated with a grin, challenging Kurumi's logic with his own.

Kurumi just sighed at this, having lived within three different Uzumakis. If there's one thing that they shared, it was their stubbornness. There was no way to push an Uzumaki away from his path if he or she had set his or her mind to it. **"Suit yourself, Naruto,"** she sighed out. He needed to understand that his idiotic plans can't always work, and this was one of them. **"Just know that whatever happens, I'll be with you all the way."**

'Okay!' he replied before looking for a good place to jump from. Even with chakra and his prodigious strength, there was no way that he could jump straight on top of the humongous wall without some assistance. And from his proximity to the walls, he knew that there was only one place that he could jump away from: the top of a tree.

Looking around, still looking out for any guards that would patrol the walls, he looked for a suitable tree to jump from. Along the way, he realised that there were no trees close to the wall, maybe because the wall prevented any from growing close by. The Shodai Hokage and his wife's ninjutsu were on a completely different level compared to the ninjas nowadays.

Finally, he found a tree. A massive tree, about half as tall as the wall at one of the branches, just how Naruto wanted it. Quickly he climbed the tree, the skill having been trained well during the time he was with the orphanage. Along the way, his mind went through his plan once again. He would climb up the tree and reach its highest and toughest branch, one that would support his weight. Then he would jump off the branch.

Not really the best of plans, but what would an Uzumaki be if he didn't have sudden crazy plans in his mind?

After a very tall climb, he finally reached his selected branch. He slowly stepped on it, feeling its flexibility and its strength. Satisfied, he slowly crept on the branch, feeling for the point where it started to creak, showing the limit of tension that the branch had. Slowly he reversed his direction until he reached the tree trunk, where he grabbed it.

"**Are you sure about this, Naruto? There must be some other path for us to take. As skilled as that person was, even he could not jump over this massive wall,"** Kurumi tried reasoning to Naruto.

'Well, this way looks fun!' Naruto replied cheerily. 'Besides, even if I fail, I don't think I will die from this fall!'

"**True, but…"**

'Trust me on this!'

Kurumi just sighed before she finally relented. **"Okay, Naruto. Your call. But if anything happens, I won't heal you. Let's see how you contend with that."**

'Okay!' Placing a hand on the massive trunk, he looked again towards the spot where the branch started creaking. 'Here goes nothing!' As quickly as he could, he started running towards the spot, quickly rocking the huge branch to achieve maximum spring. And as he closed onto the spot, he bounced once, twice, before pushing down as hard as he could towards the groaning branch, the leaves falling from the shaking branch.

'HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!'

Naruto's inward scream of excitement transformed into a scream of horror as the branch snapped underneath his heavy mass, the branch unable to support him as he felt himself in mid air for a moment before he fell along with the huge branch as it was slowly being dragged by the earth's gravity down towards the ground below.

'OOOOOOOHHH!'

His scream continued as he fell through the massive branches of the trees, the branches snapping as his body crashed into them, offering him no respite towards the fact that the ground was steadily closing up on him. Faster and faster he fell as the ground came ever closer to his face, him being unable to stop it.

With a loud crash, he smashed into the hard ground, the weight of his entire body pushing him downwards as his momentum was brought to a sudden halt, a body shaped crater appearing from the impact that he caused. As he lay stunned in his hole the ground seemed to crack around him before a massive hole opened up where he was lying. Falling further into the new hole the pieces of the broken ground followed together with him.

A mighty 'Boom!' sounded out as he collided with the hard ground that made up a strange tunnel. He groaned in pain before sitting like nothing ever happened. "That hurts!" he said, looking upwards towards the branch that he fell from just now, pieces of leaves and tree still stuck on his person. Luckily, his bones were nearly unbreakable thanks to the Ossmodula, and his Larraman's Organs were already working hard to heal him back to full strength. In a very short moment, he was already fine, sitting on the cold rough earthen floor as he looked around the dark tunnel. 'If I was a regular human, I'd be dead, Uzumaki or not.'

"**Correct,"** Kurumi said, wincing from the pain that must have caused him. **"That fall would've killed anyone. If not for the fact that your entire body was reinforced and enhanced, you'd be in serious pain, at the very least."**

'All thanks to your awesome modifications!' Naruto chirped happily. Back to serious mode, he looked around, taking sight of the strange tunnel that he was in. 'But still, where are we?'

"**I have no idea,"** Kurumi said honestly. **"The tunnel must've been made quite some time ago, not to mention the fact that it seems that it was made for infiltration, as the tunnel is steep, bypassing the roots of the wall."**

Naruto just nodded as he looked, the scant illumination provided by the hole that he fell down from being enough for him. From what he could see, he fell right into the part of the tunnel where it started to descend down in an almost vertical drop. And from the size of it, it wasn't meant for walking, but crawling. 'Who made this tunnel?' Naruto wondered.

"**That's not our concern as of now,"** Kurumi interjected. **"What's important is getting out, and to start your travels."**

'Agreed.' And so, Naruto started to crawl within the small tunnel, his mind wandering towards its origins. Observing the drop, he slowly crawled towards it, feeling his back closing in with the walls of the tunnel, creating a somewhat controllable descent for him. Along the way, he looked with interest at the earthen walls of the tunnels, looking at the scurrying insects and subterranean beings that crawled within and on the tunnel, not to mention the tree roots that kept brushing his back.

Finally, he reached the lowest part of the tunnel, where even the air was thick and stagnant, showing that it hadn't been used for quite some time. His Astartes body's excellent respiratory system allowed him to ignore said stagnant air, and he just crawled upwards now, moving past the walls of Konoha. He realised that some of the roots that were visible within the tunnels had a small amount of chakra flowing through them, showing that they were the same roots from the wall. "Amazing…" he breathed out in awe at the mighty construct created by the Shodai Hokage.

After a long, nearly vertical crawl, he reached the end of the tunnel, where it sloped to an exit. Crawling towards the door, he punched through it, sending pieces of wood chips and packed earth flying before peeking through the hole, confirming that there was no threat around him. Finally assured, he went out, completely dragging his body out of the barely fitting tunnel before he stretched his entire body. 'That's one way to travel!'

"**It sure is,"** Kurumi added. **"Now, let's go somewhere with some people. You'll need to learn social attitudes, among others. We'll start by talking to strangers."**

'Okay!' looking back, he saw the massive walls that protected Konoha in all its humongous splendour, a wall unbreached by anyone as of yet. He turned around and faced it, giving it a bow, a sign of both relief and thankfulness at the huge wall, one that protected Konoha. As he bowed from his waist, he mouthed, "Thank you," towards the walls. "We'll meet again, I'm sure."

Lifting his head, he turned around sparing one last glance towards the huge wall before giving it a nod and left the tunnel's exit, the whistling wind of the night a voice of goodbye within the night's blanket of security and comfort.

And so begins a new chapter within Naruto's journey, a chapter filled with uncertainties and hope yet undiscovered…

-CHAPTER ENDS-

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	10. Chapter 9: Start of Journey

Nothing of note here. Move along.

Thanks to kylekatarn77, Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, and all the rest of you guys.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: Naruto got an explanation on his sudden skilful fight against the Kumo nin before continuing his journey and found an exit underneath Konoha's walls; an old, musty tunnel that he fell through after attempting to jump over Konoha's walls.

CHAPTER 9: START OF JOURNEY

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

'So what do you think I should do first?'

"**It's still the dead of night, not to mention that you're still naked. I think the first order of business is to find clothing and/or shelter. In fact, we're still too close to Konoha. Get further away, then we'll see."**

Nodding, Naruto quickly leapt away from Konoha and ran as fast as he could, trying to get away from the general vicinity of Konoha. With strong steps he dashed ahead, the world a blur around him as his senses primed for high speed movement, dodging everything that he came across with relative ease thanks to his alertness. It was only thanks to his enhanced senses that he managed to avoid any detection, being able to sense even the smallest of things around him as his enhanced vision faded from the speed he was running.

"**Relax, Naruto,"** Kurumi advised. **"Going too fast will run the risk of you being discovered. You're really in a hurry to get away from it aren't you?"**

'Yeah,' Naruto replied back. 'I'm not really well-loved with everyone there, you know.'

"**I know, Naruto,"** she shot back. **"I'm with you at all times."**

'So you must've known why I wanted to flee as fast as possible!'

"**I do, and I understand. But we'll still return, right?"**

Naruto said nothing, not replying to her question. However, it still didn't mean that he would enjoy going back to Konoha. Sure, he'd need – no – have to face it one day, but that wouldn't erase whatever they did to him before. He might be able to forgive them later on, who knows, but he sure as hell wouldn't forget it.

"**That is fine, Naruto,"** Kurumi said. **"There's an old human saying. Forgive, but never forget. It means what it means, where you forgive a man's horrible actions, but never forget that he did it, and let it be a lesson to you. I'm sure that you'll meet more than your fair share of people who will trouble you in some way later on, but take them as life's lessons."**

'Yeah, that's right, I guess.'

And so Naruto dashed through the night, having no destination in mind as of yet. However, a single issue struck his mind. 'Kurumi-chan, where can I find clothes for me?'

Kurumi snapped to realisation as well at this, completely forgetting about Naruto's nakedness. **"That's an issue,"** she said. **"Hmm... where could we find any...? Hunting would be out, since you didn't have any sharp tools on you to skin the animals. Finding a tailor would be out as well, considering that it's the dead of the night and that you have no money."**

'So...? Any ideas?'

"**Nope,"** Kurumi replied honestly. She was completely stumped on this problem.

Still running, Naruto noticed something. The forest that he ran in contained lots of vines and large leaves. Can he use that as makeshift clothing for now?

"**Not really,"** Kurumi replied. **"They won't hold, especially when you start your training."** An idea suddenly entered her head.** "For now, I think it's better if you try using the leaves as a temporary shelter though. That will help. We can start training for a while."**

'Yup. Sounds better than my original idea.' Looking around, Naruto snatched a handful of vines that would be soft and strong enough for him to spin like a rope. After a while, he ended up with a length of vine ropes that he believed would be useful for him. taking a bunch of massive leaves, he tied it around his body, acting as some sort of clothing for him. 'Alright, now what?'

"**I think that's enough. But what's more important is to get further from Konoha. They'll find that tunnel soon enough, and they'll track you down. For now, just run through the woods, gather everything that you might need in quick stops, and then continue running. You can run for days, so once you've put enough distance between yourself and Konoha, we can start."**

Nodding his agreement, Naruto wordlessly continued his mad dash away from the general vicinity of Konoha. On and on he went, through forests, rivers and lakes which he just ran into, not even slowing down, sure of his ability to survive within the waters thanks to his Mucranoid and Multi-Lung. Night turned to day as he continued, only stopping to have some water and some food before he continued.

After two days of non-stop running, Naruto slowed to a halt as he came close to a cave, his breathing long and hard, his constant exertion still covered by his bloodline as he took a break. 'I think this is far enough,' Naruto said to Kurumi.

"**Yes, I think so too. And that cave over there is a good place to make your temporary or permanent hideout, if you want it."**

'Temporary, I guess. Still need to get some clothes and a better place to stay.'

"**A cave's actually good, though you'll need some protection to prevent someone from discovering you when you train."**

'Maybe. We'll see when we start.' Naruto immediately entered the cave, but his steps suddenly stopped as he took a sniff of the air within the cave. And the lingering scent was something that the animals that he ate were familiar with: a bear. 'It's a bear's lair.'

"**That's a problem,"** Kurumi admitted. He may be strong for his age, but he wasn't anywhere near strong enough to defeat a bear head-on.** "But they don't attack people much, and I believe that he'll probably run away when he smells you."**

'But he cannot smell me. The Mucranoid, remember?' Naruto said, reminding her of the thin Mucranoid protein layer on his skin.

"**Oh,"** she answered lamely. She kept losing her thoughts these few days for some reason. **"Oh yeah."**

'Is that bad?'

"**Maybe. Let's just hope not,"** Kurumi said, though she was confident in Naruto's chances of being able to take down the bear if need be.

'Why can't I just attack it?' Naruto asked.

"**Well, I don't think you can win in a head on fight," **Kurumi said honestly, deflating Naruto's enthusiasm a little.

'Can't I just chew his meat and use my acid spit to selectively melt his flesh so that the skin would be fine?'

Kurumi pondered over Naruto's suggestion for a bit. **"That might work,"** she said. **"But it'll take quite some time, and it's not that accurate."**

Naruto thought about it for a while. Finally, he came to a decision. 'We'll just stay here. It's close to a food and water source,' he said, his ears having caught the sound of a nearby stream. 'And it's quite an isolated area, so I think I can train as much as I want here. Unless I make some huge mess-up, any chakra flare that I make won't be felt too much.'

"**I guess that's quite true,"** Kurumi sighed. **"Okay then. Go check the cave out first, then have some food before going to sleep. You've ran for days now. It'll be hard to find you right now, not to mention the fact that you're somewhere in the middle of nowhere."**

Nodding, Naruto entered the cave, letting his enhanced eyesight do the job of absorbing everything of note within the cave. The cave was much bigger than he was, making it more than sufficient for him. There were also piles of small bones, a sign that the bear might have eaten some small rodents.

'Nice cave,' he said. 'Good enough.'

Heading outside after being satisfied by the cave, he headed for the river. Cupping his hands into the clear water, he greedily drank, having not had a single drop of water since he ran away from Konoha except that one time where he ran into a lake.

"Buah!" he gasped out loud, his thirst finally satisfied. Going a bit upstream, he looked within the waters for any fish that would be available within the river. Taking a hint from the as-of-yet unseen bear, Naruto stood beside the riverbank, a hand high as he prepared to scoop any unsuspecting fish that went past him.

Twenty minutes later, Naruto was walking towards the cave, his mouth chewing hard while half of a fish was within his right hand, with more carried in his left, still living from the way they shook within Naruto's hands. By the time he reached the cave, he had already eaten all of them. Entering the cave, he realised that the bear that he was expecting wasn't there. 'Huh,' he said inwardly. 'I guess he's gone.'

"**Good for you then."**

'Yeah.' He lay on the hard ground, having no issues with the lack of comfort. 'I'll take a break first. Maybe later we'll start training.' And so as Naruto slept, Kurumi did not bother to call Naruto into his mindscape, preferring that he took a break before his training later on.

A few hours later he woke up feeling completely refreshed as he saw that the sky had darkened, the night having come to the Elemental Nations. 'Right,' Naruto said. 'What's our first order of training?'

"**You need to train your chakra first,"** she suggested. **"It's the most important thing you can learn to quickly improve yourself. If you have even this basic knowledge, you might have it easier with the Kumo nin from before... anyway, after that, a jutsu that could help you speed your training up, what with your chakra capacity compared to others."**

'Sounds cool!'

"**It sure is,"** Kurumi replied. **"Now, the first handsign that you must know to activate your chakra is the Tiger, where you put both your pointer and middle finger together and cross the rest together."**

'Uh... What's a handsign?' Naruto asked, having no idea what she meant by that.

Kurumi quickly smacked her own head in frustration. How did she not remember that?! **"I'm sorry, Naruto,"** she apologized. **"I should teach you the basics of chakra first and its theory. Listen well, Naruto."** Satisfied at Naruto's enthusiastic nod, she began. Naruto's enhanced memory and mental ability helped him to quickly learn the basic theories of chakra, and within two hours, he already knew everything he needed to know about chakra and their handsigns.

'So I just need to make the Tiger sign, then focus within me?' he asked, confirming her words.

"**Yes,"** she replied. **"It should be something like that. You'll know when you feel it."**

Naruto nodded before he sat cross legged on the ground within the cave. His hand quickly formed the Tiger handsign as he closed his eyes, feeling for the liquid power flowing within him as Kurumi instructed. It does not take long before he felt the power flow around him, the heat from the flow quickly warming him up as it covered his skin in sheen of light blue. He opened his eyes, and the first thing that caught his eyes was the thin sheen of blue around him. 'Wow. That was fast,' Naruto said. 'You said it would take hours.'

"**The Linker Core might be the reason,"** Kurumi theorised. **"It manages your chakra for you as a secondary chakra core, so it might be the cause why you can activate it much faster than normal. Not to mention that my enhancements always involve your chakra, so it would already be activated."**

Naruto frowned as she said so. 'It almost feels like I'm cheating.'

"**Naruto, there is no such thing as cheating,"** Kurumi said. **"Your body is your tool. Your bloodline is just another tool. What use is a tool if you don't utilize it? Besides, the Uchihas were even worse, if you think that you're cheating."**

'How so?'

"**Well, for starters, that Sharingan of theirs is capable of seeing chakra just like your eyes while having decent night vision. Nothing like your Occulobe though, but still significant. They could also see illusions, in that no illusion would be able to affect them unless it's strong enough. Another is that they could send a genjutsu straight so someone just by having a glance into their eye. They could affect even the best of ninjas with a powerful genjutsu with just a short eye contact. Also, they are capable of predicting their enemy's movement in slow motion, allowing them to counter their enemy in a short time. With just one look, they could copy any non-bloodline jutsu, together with its handseals and ability nearly instantly. Moreover, they could even control a bijuu, which was how I was controlled."**

'Wow,' Naruto whistled. 'If I said I was cheating just now, the Uchihas sound like they're worse. Not to mention that all that came only from their eyes!'

"**That's why I said that you're not cheating, Naruto. Your bloodline is just another tool for you to use, a list of tools, which includes your mind, your body and your environment. Everything is meant for you to use to its fullest ability. You having such a thought just shows how good of a person you are, really."**

Nodding, Naruto asked her another question. 'What's next? Chakra activation is already done.'

"**As I said, the second thing that you'll learn today would be a jutsu to help speed up your training massively called the ****Shadow Clone**** jutsu. You need to know that it is one of the jutsu that uses a special handsign instead of the regular twelve."** Naruto nodded at this, understanding her words. **"Now, have your pointer and middle finger out and fold the rest inside before crossing your fingers together."**

'Like this?' Naruto asked, performing the handsign that Kurumi told him to.

"**Alright,"** she said. **"That is the special handsign for the ****Shadow Clone**** jutsu, a versatile clone jutsu. The jutsu was made by Tobirama, Hashirama's brother who immediately taught it to him and Mito, who used it in her arsenal almost immediately due to its versatility."**

"**The ****Shadow Clone**** that is made with this technique will have a part of your chakra within it, the amount depending on how much chakra you placed within the jutsu and how many clones you wanted with it, where the jutsu will divide the chakra among the clones."**

"**The specialty of this jutsu is that every clone is exactly you, having the same physical strength, knowledge, jutsu, everything. The clones also had a special property, where when they dispelled, their remaining chakra will be returned to you along with their memories. So, with this skill, you could have them train and practice your skills while you do something else. This will amplify your training rate massively, allowing you to learn something difficult in a matter of days."**

'Wow!' Naruto yelled back in joy. His first jutsu and it already was an awesome skill? Nice! 'Let's try it then!'

"**Naruto, wait!" **Kurumi shouted as Naruto readied himself to cast his first jutsu ever. **"Remember that there's only one of me, and even with the ****Shadow Clone**** jutsu, only you will carry me, not your clones. They may be able to use my chakra, if what Mito did when she had me was similar, but they cannot listen to me, only you can."**

'So, what do you suggest?'

"**I'll tell you everything first. What to do, where, how, then you'll perform the jutsu and have the clones do their part of training. You'll perform some physical exercises then." **Another detail about the Shadow Clone jutsu entered her mind at that time. **"Physical effects won't be carried from your clone to you. So if they were to train their entire body and were dispelled, you'll gain nothing. So, you'll have to train your physical body, and have the clones train your chakra related techniques. Once they do however, you'll gain their knowledge instantly after they dispelled themselves, though dispelling too many at one time will give you a headache."**

'Okay!' Naruto replied happily. 'So what should we do first?'

"**You'll need to train your chakra skills first."**

'Chakra skills?

"**It would be called chakra control training,"** Kurumi explained. **"You have unlocked your chakra, but just unlocking them does not help you much. Now, you'll have to train how to use them in other situations."**

'Oh! So what will they train?'

"**You will train in two things at once. One is the Tree Walking technique, where you use your chakra to stick to the surface of a tree and walk on it, hence the name of the technique. The second is called the Water-walking technique, where you'll use your chakra to stand on water."**

'Cool! How do I do that?'

"**Start slowly. Place a leg on the water, then channel chakra out from your leg to the water, making sure to balance your weight with the amount of chakra that would be dispersed. After that, then stand on the water slowly, maintaining that same balance. Then slowly walk, get used to it until you can run on the water's surface. Tree Walking has the same principle, but it's easier due to the tree being a hard surface instead of water."**

Nodding, Naruto crossed his fingers and started channelling chakra from his cores to his fingers. He could feel it as liquid fire started to heat his entire body, feeling them flow within the body's chakra coils. He could see as the recently released chakra gathered at his hands, ready to be unleashed in a single command. "Shadow Clone jutsu!" he commanded, and the mass of chakra obliged.

In a small poof of smoke, another him appeared beside him, causing him to leap in shock. "Wow!" he said loudly before going towards his clone and started poking it with his finger. "That tickles, boss," the clone replied, leaping back to avoid Naruto's pokes.

"Wow!" he said, even more excited than before. "It talked!"

"Of course I talk, you idiot!" the clone replied with a 'are you stupid?' tone to Naruto. "I'm you!"

"He just told me off!" Naruto said as he sat beside a tree, crying mock tears from his eyes. "Wait!" he said as he stood suddenly, getting a revelation. "Does that mean that I am actually scolding myself?!"

"**Oh yeah," **Kurumi said lamely. **"The clones sometimes have a personality of their own, sometimes even different lines of thought than the maker or even among each other. That's what makes the ****Shadow Clone**** jutsu unique."**

"So that means..."

"**He's an irregular, if you want to say it."**

"Okay!" Naruto then turned around before facing his clone and said, "Well, I think you already know why you're here, so get to it!"

The clone snapped a quick salute, getting a sudden mood change. "Sir, yes sir!" before running towards the nearby river. Looking at the back of his clone, Naruto had his arms on his waist before saying with a proud voice, his chest puffed up. "Will you look at that? My clone listened!"

"**He sure did,"** Kurumi said, giggling a bit at Naruto's interaction with his clone. **"Now, while you're on it, you need to train your taijutsu techniques. That time you fought that guy was sloppy."**

'Yeah.' And so, Naruto spent the entire day refining his techniques, trying to properly master his move set. After some time, he felt memories that weren't his own suddenly invade his mind, like a small pinprick behind his head. Confused, he was about to ask Kurumi about it when she answered it immediately. **"That must've been the memory from the clone."**

'Yeah.' Stopping his current training, he recalled what the clone did. As ordered by Kurumi before it was made, the clone placed a foot on the water's surface and started channelling chakra from its foot to the water. After getting the feel for it, he quickly stood up, only to tumble as the miniscule amount of chakra that he flowed through his foot was unable to support his weight, causing him to fall face first into the water. But after a couple of tries, he managed to stand still on top of the water, and in a very short while, he managed to run on top of the uneven water's surface like it was solid surface.

"**I think I should expect that,"** Kurumi said as she saw how Naruto easily walked on the water's surface despite only learning the technique for a couple hours. **"The Linker Core seemed to enhance your chakra control as well. In fact, it usually took hours and many tries before someone can create a proper clone with the jutsu. This is something good for you, since it can enhance your training rapidly."** Naruto just nodded at this, already accepting this fact.

"**Continue training your taijutsu first. Then, I'll train you in the skill your father was best at: his sealing jutsu. But first, create some clones and have it train your taijutsu, while you train your kanji writing. You'll need it if you are to use seals."**

Complying, Naruto crossed his fingers before creating a couple more clones and had them spar against each other to train their taijutsu skills. The original, meanwhile, went and picked up a stick on the ground to be used as a makeshift brush to write calligraphy with. Under Kurumi's tutelage, Naruto began his lesson in calligraphy, writing down in hiragana at first to let him be used to writing first.

The entire day was spent with Naruto learning how to write as his clones continued their spar. Through their spars, the clones also decided to spar on the water, just to test the capabilities of their Linker Core. In a very short while, the clones went from tripping over the water's surface during combat to fighting as proficient as they did on land while Naruto was writing down calligraphy on the ground.

To speed things up, Naruto decided to utilize his clones in an even more effective manner. He asked Kurumi to teach him a single character before creating a clone. That clone would practice only that one character until it sticks with his mind completely where he could even perform it well even with his eyes close. Meanwhile, Naruto would have Kurumi teach him another, and then create another clone. The process would repeat itself until Kurumi finished teaching Naruto every character she knew. This actually resulted in hundreds of clones, all of them trying to completely memorize how to draw a single character.

To look out for any potential intruders to his training ground, Naruto created a series of observational clones where they would stand guard further away from their impromptu camp and use their considerable observation ability to track and note any human beings that entered their territory. And during the entire time, he realised that there was no one around, only an ocean of trees as far as his eyes could see. He also made more clones to train his taijutsu while having some more train in the use of the Basic 3: the Transformation jutsu, the Substitution jutsu and the basic Clone jutsu. The last one wasn't actually necessary, especially when he had the Shadow Clone jutsu, but it never hurt to learn more.

He mastered the Clone and the Transformation jutsu in a matter of minutes, thanks to his perfect chakra control. The Substitution took a bit more time, though that was more because Kurumi told him to focus on it until he could switch with nearly anything in his general vicinity without handseals, a feat only a master at that jutsu could perform. And once again, in just mere hours, Naruto could switch with nearly anything that he had a glimpse of in a range of 2 meters from where he was. Combined with his photographic memory, he could remember the location of a small branch and use it as substitution material whenever he wanted, having already memorized the position of the object.

Within a week, with the help of what could only amount to thousands upon thousands of clones, Naruto managed to master everything that Kurumi gave to him after dispelling every one of his clones. In all practicality, Naruto was a Genin level ninja by now, if not for his untapped raw power and potential. He even had an excellent grasp over the basic seal that Kurumi taught him, which would be the storage seal, as the basis of his seal-craft. It took just a short while to make, what with his mastery over the kanji required and his own innate seal master's blood. However, lacking a proper brush, he was unable to make and use it for his own use. For now, he only made them as practice materials on leaves, tree trunks and some other random material, none of them actually suited for seal-making.

"**Naruto, your increase in skill is nothing short of phenomenal,"** Kurumi said to Naruto one morning. **"However, you'll still need proper materials and a decent place to continue your training, not to mention having some human interaction other than me."**

'Aww...' Naruto whined out. 'Can't I just stay here and train?'

"**No,"** she resolutely replied. **"The reason why we left Konoha is to help you gain more experience living in the world. If you had no human contact, it defeats the reason why you're out here."**

Naruto pouted at this. He was having fun training his skills out here, alone with no one watching him and no one trying to harm him, and suddenly Kurumi told him to leave the area and come into contact with other humans, whom he rarely, if ever, had any good experience with? That sounded nearly like a suicide order!

"**Naruto,"** she said, trying to reason with him. **"You know just as much as I do that there will definitely be better people out there. We just need to find them."**

Naruto said nothing for some time, preferring to move his body through the well practiced motions of his taijutsu techniques, Kurumi doing the same with him. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, Naruto finally responded. 'Okay, Kurumi-chan. I'll go. Maybe you're right, and I just need to find more people to interact with. Any idea where though?'

"**Uh... no,"** Kurumi replied lamely. it was not like she had a map of the world in her mind though, not to mention the fact that the world might have changed in the hundreds of years that she was sleeping and the decades that followed while she were sealed. **"Just walk wherever?"** she suggested, a bit ashamed of her own words.

'Suits me,' Naruto said with a shrug. He had no set destination too, so anywhere was fine. 'Let me take my stuff first.'

"**You don't have any stuff to take."**

'Alright, alright...' Naruto moaned out. Dispelling all his clones and quickly assimilating the memories, he grabbed everything he had – just a small pile of food that he will ate along the way – and dashed away from his little hideout, heading towards the closest road his clones could see, which was about a four hour journey from where he was.

He definitely ended up at a desolate place to start his training.

And so, Naruto dashed ahead, preparing himself to open a new chapter in his story...

-END CHAPTER-

Read and review, please?


	11. Chapter 10: Meanwhile, In Konoha Part I

Keep reading, everyone. It makes me happy.

Once again, thanks to kylekatarn77, Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, and all the rest of you guys for the help in making these chapters.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: After he escaped Konoha, Naruto continued his training, and finally trained in chakra usage, something that was made much simpler thanks to his Linker Core. With the assistance of his Shadow Clones, he managed to skill up his techniques rapidly before continuing his journey.

CHAPTER 10: MEANWHILE, IN KONOHA PART I

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

-MEANWHILE, IN KONOHA-

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen was not having a nice day. In fact, he was not having a nice week at all. Taking out his pack of scented tobacco and his pipe, he stuffed the tobacco into the pipe and lit it with a small Katon jutsu before taking in a lungful of the smoke and exhaling it in a loud sigh as he buried his body in his soft chair, feeling the weight of his job on his weary body. Taking another deep smoke, he recalled the events that occurred within the last week.

After the death of the Kumo delegate, Kumo somehow managed to get wind of the death and immediately demanded reparations. And as stipulated in the treaty between them, repatriation could be exacted in the form of the body of the man's killer, who would be Hiashi in this case. The Hyuuga clan was calling out for blood by this point. However, Hiashi's rationality as a clan head managed to prevail, and he managed to calm his clan down.

But this still didn't resolve the issue of Kumo's demand. They still demanded Hiashi's dead body, since Konoha had no proof that the Kumo delegate did anything wrong, something that Konoha couldn't dispute due to the lack of evidence and witnesses. And so, Hiashi sacrificed himself to prevent a war from breaking out between Kumo and Konoha, and with the exception of one casualty, everybody lived happily ever after.

If only the world worked like that.

The Hyuuga council rejected his idea because he was the clan head, a member of the Hyuuga Main Branch family, and clan heads were unmarked by the Caged Bird seal, a seal that prevented a Hyuuga's eyes from being stolen from his corpse among other effects. By giving his dead body to Kumo, it gave them access to their bloodline, something that was taboo to Hyuugas, a clan that was extremely concerned about the spread of their bloodline.

Hiashi did not agree to this. Instead, he was determined to sacrifice himself, considering that it was his mistake to follow through with his emotions and killed the already weakened man, despite the fact that he could as easily just captured the culprit. He understood the horrors of war, and just like the Third, he was tired of it, and hoped that his children and his nephew would be free of it.

Fate, however, said 'fuck you' to his plans.

Before he could walk to his own death in pride and honour, he was knocked out by his own twin brother, Hyuuga Hizashi, a member of the Branch House, what could be considered a 'lower family' who had their foreheads permanently marked with the Caged Bird Seal, which also marks them as a slave due to the seal's function of sending a powerful jolt of pain when activated, a misuse of the seal's main function which was to kill a captured Hyuuga member to prevent their bloodline from falling into someone else's hands.

When he returned to consciousness, he found out that his twin brother sacrificed himself in his place, having exactly the same face as he was. As he died, the seal's markings disappeared, making him look exactly the same as Hiashi. His body was sent to Kumo even as Hiashi grieved over the death of his beloved brother, blaming himself for it. As a result, he became resentful, having no one to ground him as the despair from his brother's death seeped into his mind.

He was not the only one affected, however. Hizashi left a son, Hyuuga Neji. Neji, who was already bitter with the fact that he was born into the Branch Family just because his father was the second born, became even more antagonistic towards the Main Family, believing that fate ruled everything, and that it was his father's fate to die for the Main Family since he was born in the Branch family.

This event would later be known as the 'Hyuuga Incident'.

Hiruzen let out another breath of smoke, the smell hanging in his office like a cloud. Standing up, he looked to his most precious village through the window behind him, drinking in the sight of the buildings and its scurrying inhabitants like ants. "How I wish this peace would be maintained, not just an elaborate illusion maintained by its own people," he said out loud.

Turning around, he called out to nothingness. "ANBU!" he said, addressing the hidden ANBU guards within his office. "I am going out for a short walk." He didn't need their acknowledgement to know that they all nodded and started to protect him in secrecy as he walked outside and told his secretary that he was going out. Even someone like him needs his break, and after three continuous years of focusing on the village's reconstruction and strengthening, he deserves a short break from his tasks for a day.

As the Third walked through the village's commercial district, he was greeted by the various people who bowed at him in respect, which he replied with the same courtesy, being the humble person he was. And so he continued his walk, greeting the people he passed by with ease and a smile on his face.

As he continued his walk, his mind went to the events of the Kyuubi Attack about three years prior. His mind wandered to his village and its people, remembering the struggle they went through to recover their losses and to mend their wounds. And together with their struggles, he recalled the hero that was instrumental in helping Konoha to survive the attack, their unsung, unappreciated hero, little Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto. Without any commands, his foot made its way to the orphanage where he placed Naruto at. "Wonder how he is doing now?" he mused.

Watching the massive doors of the orphanage, Sarutobi knocked on it, before it opened with a loud creak, revealing the face of the orphanage matron. "Yes?" the matron said, her eyes looking at her visitor. In an instant, all the blood in her face was drained as she realized that the visitor was none other than the Hokage himself. "L-l-lord Hokage!" she flustered in surprise. "Come in, come in!" she hurriedly said as she pulled the door open, allowing the old Hokage to enter her orphanage. "What brings you here today, Hokage-sama?" she asked, already dreading the answer.

"Hello there, madam," he said before he entered the compound, a polite "Excuse me," from his lips as he walked into the orphanage proper, the matron following right behind him. With his Hokage robes flowing behind him, he walked towards the field where the kids were playing around merrily, not realizing the presence of their venerable Hokage.

A kid was happily running around and crashed into him. "Oof!" the boy said. But as his eyes rose to look at the person who stopped his impact, he saw that it was none other than the Hokage, his old face looking down on him with a smile on his face. He gasped in shock at the presence of his leader. "Hokage-sama!" he said before he dashed, shouting out loud, "Hey guys! Hokage-sama is here!"

Watching the boisterous kid ran, the Third praised the matron. "They're energetic, and well taught too. You did a good job here, madam."

"Thank you," she replied happily, though she had nervous sweat dripping from her face at this point. She shouldn't have locked the demon! She should've just let him stay here, and show it up only when the Hokage came! She never expected the demon to run away from its cage. The hinges were melted by something she had no idea what, allowing it to escape. She cleaned the bloodstains easily enough, but that was a small consolation to her current condition.

In hindsight, that was actually a very terrible decision.

Hiruzen watched as the gaggle of kids ran towards him and started to crowd around him, their happiness and excitement infectious as he smiled watching the kids, the future of Konoha cheerfully swarmed him. He crouched down to play with the kids a bit more, remembering the times when he played with his son Asuma as the kids happily took his hand, trying to have him join their games.

However, something was strange.

Naruto should be 3 years old by now, about the same age as these kids. Yet, he didn't see hide nor hair of the small bundle of energy that was Minato and Kushina's son. After a while, as he played around with the enthusiastic bunch of children and still hadn't seen Naruto, Hiruzen stood up and dusted his back before turning around and looked at the nervously sweating matron. "Madam, where is Naruto?" he asked slowly.

"Na-naruto?" she replied back, her odd nervousness already making him suspicious.

"The boy that I gave to you 3 years back. Blonde hair, blue eyes, but still a newborn at the time," he answered her unasked question, even adding Naruto's characteristics to his answer.

"A-a-a-I have no idea," she stuttered out in fear.

Narrowing his eyes, Hiruzen suspected that something was wrong. On second thought, he should've figured out that something was wrong straight from the outset. From her reaction as she saw him, as he played with the kids, he should've suspected foul play straight from the start. However, he might've closed one eye to it, believing in the goodwill of Konohan citizens. But just to confirm…

The aged yet still sharp Hokage turned around and crouched back to the kids. "Kids," he asked with a smile on his face, his confusion hidden to the kids. "Have you seen a boy in this orphanage? His name is Naruto. Three years old with blonde hair and blue eyes?"

The little kids looked at each other in confusion. They never had someone like that playing with them, and they never knew about a boy like that. Everyone within the orphanage was of the usual disposition, with black hair and black eyes, and none of them fits the description the Hokage just spoke. "No... We never heard of him," came the reply of a kid among the rabble around the Hokage. "No one here looked like that, right guys?" His question was quickly answered by a rapid barrage of "Yeah!" and "No!" from the kids.

His smile quickly turned to a small frown at their answer. How did a child disappear entirely? A child he personally entrusted to the matron, one who was at the post of orphanage matron for so long, people automatically associated her with kids? Despite his suspicions however, he wanted to believe that nothing untoward happened to the boy, their unsung hero.

But the sight of one of the kids caught his eye.

Within the rabble of kids, noisy with arguments about the presence of the boy the Hokage spoke of, one girl stood behind them all, her body trembling for reasons unknown. The girl's hidden face looked up slightly, only to meet the intense eyes of the Hokage. Shock and fear flashed within her face, causing her to immediately avert her face away from the Hokage.

"Kids, calm down," he spoke. The kids went silent as if a magic spell was cast upon them, their words cut off as they all looked towards the Hokage at the same time, confusion within their eyes. "Little girl, please come here," he said, offering a hand towards the fearful girl, causing all eyes to turn towards the girl.

The girl, still trembling in fear walked straight towards the Hokage, the rabble of kids parting as she walked straight towards the old Kage despite her shaky steps. Whispers and rumours quickly spread among the kids, every single one talking about her, causing her eyes to look towards the ground, not being able to take the strange glances headed her way.

Almost a lifetime later – to her at least – she reached the wizened Kage's hand, immediately placing her hand within his, an action that once again brought silence to the rabble of kids. "It's alright," Hiruzen slowly said, his usual gentle smile on his face as he tried to calm the little girl. "No one will hurt you. It's alright."

The girl nearly leapt at him, hugging him tight as tears suddenly gushed from her eyes like a broken dam, her loud cries echoing within the orphanage, much to everyone's confusion. On and on she cried, her tears and snot wetting the robe of the venerable Hokage, yet he only smiled, slowly patting her back, whispering small words to calm down the distraught girl. Being a father himself, it was a scene that brings back memories of the good times when he was caring for his children.

It was nearly five minutes before the girl's sobs and sad snorts slowly died down. Even so, she still had her face within the Hokage's robes, unashamedly using them to wipe her tears and nasal discharge. He paid no heed to them, for they were just bodily fluids; he's had a huge amount of it on him for various reasons, and they bothered him none. What bothered him though, was the reason for her outbreak of tears.

As her tears stopped, he held the girl at her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes, displaying the face of the caring old man, the face he was most widely known for. "Little girl, what's your name?" he asked, a gentle smile on her face as his finger reached her eyes, wiping the remnants of tears on them.

The girl sniffled, calming herself as best as she could. "Mion."

"Alright, Mion," the Hokage said. "Have you calmed down?" Watching her nod, he continued his questioning. "What happened, Mion-chan?" he spoke slowly, using an affectionate honorific in the hopes of calming the kid down. "What made you cry?"

Mion sniffed again as she rubbed her eyes. Slowly she began to spoke. "I... I saw..."

"Mion-chan, please calm down," the Hokage said again. "What did you see?"

"I... I saw the demon!"

The Hokage's eyes widened huge as saucers from her words. A mix of thoughts ran through his mind at her sudden outburst. What did she meant? Where? Who was the demon? _What_ was the demon? "What is the demon? What did your mother do?"

"The demon looked like that boy you said!" she cried out. "He had blonde hair! But mom was just protecting us! She just doesn't want the demon to do bad things to us!"

"So what did she do?" the Hokage asked. A sinking feeling already grew within his stomach, a sure sign of an impending bad news. Yet he held his thoughts deep within himself, not wanting to reveal anything.

"She hurt the demon! There's..." Mion shivered as her face scrunched in fear. Her arms wrapped around herself as her pupils dilated, the memories of that night resurfacing within her mind. "There's so much blood..."

'Blood?' A tingle of fear ran through the aged Hokage's mind as he heard the girl's words. Worry finally began flowing within his voice as his grasp tightened ever so slightly on her tiny shoulders "Can you show me?"

"Hokage-sama, I can ex-"

"Shut up," he replied to the matron's interjection, the threatening tone immediately silencing the terrified matron behind him, his eyes not even looking towards her. "I want her – Mion – to show me this... _demon_."

The matron had nothing to say, her stretched arm slowly shrinking down in terror. As her leader stood, following the shocked and terrified Mion, she slowly trotted behind them, internally cursing her acceptance of the twice damned demon. She should just reject it three years ago! Give whatever reasons she could instead of accepting him!

Hiruzen followed the shaken girl slowly, his feelings boiling within. 'I hope this is all just a coincidence,' he spoke to himself, trying to calm down his rapidly beating heart. Yet, he was unable to remove this terrible feeling within his heart, which only grows as time passes. Behind them, the matron worryingly watched, hoping to every god she knew that she just dreamed of her almost-murder of the demon.

Slowly Mion guided the Hokage to the orphanage's backyard, her mind immediately recalling the events she saw a week ago. Every day, she stole glances at her adopted mother, trying to think why she did what she did. As her mind rolled in turmoil, she unknowingly reached the small shack that had the so-called demon that she saw her mother... hurt.

Hiruzen immediately ran towards the shack, seeing the girl stop. He pulled the wooden door open, his mind quickly making a comparison between the shack and an outhouse. He looked inside, expecting the worst. Yet there was nothing. The shack was clean, absolutely no traces of any violence or anything that would verify little Mion's words.

But he will not mistake that smell. A stench he knew and understood well. A stench that wasn't easy to remove by any means, and the sheer thickness of it in this small shack was suffocating, nearly choking even him.

The metallic stench of blood.

The ground of the shack was recently moved and was wet, he thought as he placed a hand on the earth. His eyes widened as the worst case scenario popped up in his mind: that little Naruto died, killed by the angry matron, and his remains were buried here, right at the same orphanage where he was supposed to be cared.

Anger almost literally erupted from him in waves, nearly drowning both Mion and the matron in choking waves of chakra, his killing intent bursting out of his body. In a blink of an eye he disappeared from the shack, reappearing right in front of the matron. His hand grabbed the collar of her kimono and pulled her up, eyes burning with fury meeting eyes filled with fear. "Where is he?" he growled out, barely holding back his desire to crush the matron to a pulp.

The matron's mind nearly broke down from the intense rage she could feel rolling off the angry Hokage, only holding on to a meagre shred of consciousness that prevented her from keeling over right then and there. Seeing this, Hiruzen knew that he will not have any coherent answer from her. He took a deep breath, calming his boiling heart slightly before he looked around; trying to find any trace of Naruto, if any still exists. 'He's an Uzumaki. They won't just keel down and die,' he mentally told himself, both to calm himself down and to give rise to a small hope within himself.

Immediately he found traces of a body being dragged right from the shack's door. He bent down to the ground, analyzing the trace. He could see that he struggled hard despite the serious injury that he received from the matron, the same injury that led to the massive amount of blood that must have been in the shack before the matron cleaned it.

The drag trails lead directly towards a cellar behind the orphanage. And as he examined the traces, he saw some deep footprints with a trace amount of blood's scent still hovering within the trails. A small, sad smile appeared on his face, knowing that Naruto must have struggled hard. Yet a mystery cropped up within his mind. How can Naruto struggle so hard despite his age? He filed it away mentally before taking a glance towards the matron, ensuring that she was still catatonic from his killing intent and continuing to trace Naruto's path.

The first thing he saw was the cellar's double wooden doors, one that he was sure no boy Naruto's age could lift. His anger rose again as he imagined Naruto's body behind the cellar, dead to the world. But one thing caught his eyes. The cellar uses a simple latch to lock it, one visible from where he was. The metal bolt, however, was melted by something. And from the way the hole looked, it was melted from the inside, not outside.

Pulling open the wooden door, he entered the cellar, chakra instinctively flowing to his eyes as he looked within the dark room. The stench of dried blood was stronger, telling him that Naruto must've ended up here. It took him a short time to look around the tiny cellar, and the first thing that he could confirm was the obvious fact that Naruto was not there.

Confused, he tried rearranging the events that might have occurred here. The matron stabbed Naruto with an unknown weapon, the reason for the scent of blood lingering heavily within the room. From the scent's thickness, the wound must've been lethal; his blood loss would reach critical level and he died barely minutes afterwards.

At first, he thought that the matron must've dragged his body here to hide the evidence, but he seemed to have some life within him as he struggled hard. He attributed it to his Uzumaki heritage, but what happened next was where things turn weird. The sheer stench of blood was thick, showing that he could not survive. Yet his body was not here, nor was there any sign of moved earth, showing that he cannot possibly be buried here.

He looked back at the door, observing the hole right where the bolt was at the door. The small crater told him everything; it was melted from within. But how? There weren't a single thing within the cellar that could melt the door, nor was he old enough to know how to do so. What actually happened here?

He exited the cellar and headed straight towards the matron, now no longer as catatonic as before, yet still too afraid to act while Mion stood beside her, still shaking on her foot from the oppressive aura the Hokage emitted before. In an instant he stood in front of the wheezing matron, his killing intent no longer as oppressive as it was before yet still potent enough to make her fear for her life. "Where is he?" he spoke, a flat yet lethal voice.

"W-what?" the matron stammered out, a hand clutching her chest from the Hokage's maddening killing intent.

"Where is he?"

"I-I don't know..." was the only thing she could cough out as she bent her body, unable to face the angry Hokage. His fury boiled, almost immediately reaching his tipping point at her words. But he forcefully calmed himself down as he arranged the facts in his mind. There were no youki detected by anyone within his forces, and there were no reports of a massive chakra burst that would accompany a dying jinchuuriki from his sensory team. There was no sign that he was buried, and despite the immense amount of blood everywhere – if the lingering stench were to be trusted – there was no sign of him anywhere.

Naruto was alive; of that he's sure.

"Where. Is. Naruto?" he questioned once more, his anger as sharp as a sword within his voice.

She finally snapped from the Hokage's question, no longer able to take in his logic. Her self-preservation instinct died out within her broken mind, leaving only anger and hatred boiling within her heart, one that can rival the same feeling within the old Kage's heart. "Why would you protect that demon?!" she yelled, no longer caring about herself within her rage-addled mind. "It was nothing but evil! It killed so many, yet you wanted to protect it! It nearly destroyed the village! You were there! And yet you still wanted to keep it safe?!"

"He is not the demon," he hissed, his fist tightly clenched in his fury. How dare she?! Did she knew that Naruto was not the Kyuubi?! "You _will_ take your words back."

"Why should I?!" she screamed out, tears of madness flowing down her eyes as memories of her child and his family replayed in front of her eyes, taunting her. "It killed my family! It destroyed them! That thing is no human! It's a demon! A demon through and through! And you are affected by its demonic magicks, not being able to see its wickedness!"

"I will not tolerate your insolence anymore, woman!" he yelled out in anger. "Now tell me where Naruto was, or I will pull it from you!"

"I have no idea!" she hysterically screamed in response. "I stabbed it, watched it bleed, yet it remained strong enough to survive! It healed almost immediately, as if I did nothing! I wanted to lock it within the cellar, starve it until it dies, so I dragged its bloody body there, but it escaped! It melted the door and ran away!"

"ANBU!" he yelled. Within an instant, three black-clad, masked member of Konoha's black ops team kneeled in front of him, ready to receive any order from him. "Restrain and pass her to Ibiki. I want to know every single thing she knew. Just don't break her." He turned his head as he spoke, looking away from the matron in hatred. The ANBU worked quickly, locking her movements in an instant before they all disappeared, taking the matron with them to the dungeons. "The only person that can judge her is Naruto, and we will make sure we will find him," he spoke to himself.

He quickly turned in disgust, leaving the orphanage. But before he could leave, a small hand tugged on his robes, causing him to turn towards the source of the pull. His rage filled eyes met with the accusing eyes of a small girl, yet the very hostility he showed within them caused her to flinch and shy away in terror at the Hokage, her hands slowly letting go of his robes.

And instantly Hiruzen was disappointed at himself. It was rare for him to lose control of his emotions like that. He should know better than to explode like that. Besides, the kids were innocent. They were not in any way involved with the crime the matron committed. He drew in massive quantities of air with every breath he took, trying to calm himself down. Having calmed enough, he bent down, patting the girl's head with his most calming smile on his face. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "You just saw a bad part of me. That won't happen again, I promise. What is it, Mion?"

"Um..." she fidgeted once more, trying to word her question towards the Hokage. "Why do you take mom away?"

A small frown slipped through his smile, but he quickly recovered as he reminded himself that it was not her, or the other kids' fault that they didn't know. "She committed a crime, Mion," he said truthfully, trying to make the child understand the magnitude of her foster mother's crime. "She hurt and tore the life of a little boy, smaller and younger than you when she was supposed to take care of him."

"But he is a demon!" she protested, the kids all agreeing to her words. "Mom was just trying to protect us from the evil demon! She said it hurt a lot of people! She is a good mom!" the kids all clamoured at the Hokage, all of them shouting their agreements and support at Rika's words.

"Kids," he said, silencing the kids down. "I know she taught you that there is a demon within the hut before." The kids nodded in agreement at this. "But that was not a demon. That is a child, a boy that I gave her three years ago for her to raise and keep healthy, to have him play around with all of you as well. But she was wrong about the boy, and she thought that he is a demon. That's why she was wrong, because she hurt an innocent boy."

The kids all chatted together in confusion, the details eluded him. But to calm them a little, he made an announcement. "I'll replace your... mother with another of my choice. Rest assured, she will take over the duties of taking care of all of you, and she will ensure that all of you receive proper guidance and support. Now, I must go. I will check on all of you every once in a while." He stood up immediately, ignoring the kids' confused eyes at him as he left the compound.

His mind was already in action, planning the best course of action to find Naruto immediately. He knew that Jiraiya will throw fits as he heard this, but even he knew that they were both to blame. And in the end, he needed to find him as soon as possible. 'What have I done...?' ran through his mind, his voice of regret growing strong with every second that passed. "Naruto, on behalf of Konoha, I apologize," he said towards the sky as he walked to his office, self-disappointment heavy in his footsteps.

-CHAPTER ENDS-

Read and review.


	12. Chapter 11: A Meeting

Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. It makes me happy with every review and follows I receive. May your comments and ideas flow free, so that I can further improve my story.

Once again, thanks for the help, kylekatarn77, Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, and all the rest of you guys.

PREVIOUS CHATER: Back in Konoha, Hiruzen decided to visit Naruto after 3 years. Unfortunately for him, Naruto was missing, and critically injured. Yet he believed that he was still alive, and evidence supported this. Locking the matron and promising the kids a new matron, he left in disappointment and regret.

CHAPTER 11: A CHANCE MEETING

-BACK TO NARUTO-

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

'Hm?'

"**What's wrong?"**

'I think someone said something about me,' Naruto said as he looked up at the sky, the thought of someone talking about him passing his mind.

"**Must've been your imagination."**

'Yeah, you're right, I guess.'

Naruto was leaping from tree to tree, his legs propelling his tiny body through the air as they pushed down on the branches, his small body allowing him to tread lightly on the branches. Chakra flowed within his entire body, reinforcing every part of him as he practiced the chakra techniques she taught him before, allowing him to go faster and further than what his body could, which was already further than what a regular person could. His 4-hour journey took only one hour, his enhanced speed cutting his travel time short as he utilised its full ability to run further and further away from Konoha with no set destination in mind.

As he approached the road, his eyes caught sight of a couple of bandits blocking a horse cart from moving. Slowing his travel as he concealed his presence with all the skills the animals he ate gave him, he honed his Lyman's Ears on them as he listened to what they were saying.

"-me go." A man said, probably the owner of the cart. He was busy trying to calm down his worried horse to do anything against the roughnecks around him.

"Hah!" a rough sounding person said.

"Mister," another voice appeared as Naruto heard a series of laughs and sneers coming from the other bandits around the cart. "We don't even want you. Maybe just your stuff underneath those tarps. And your money, of course. Can't forget that." His words were accompanied by boisterous laugh from his group as they began circling the man.

Naruto's mind quickly turned, thinking of how he could help the man, his kind self once again coming to fore. Finally, he made his choice, one supported by Kurumi's words within him. Jumping up a tree, he slowly tree-hopped until he came close to one of the bandits, his presence completely concealed by his stealth skills.

"Please," the cart's driver pleaded. "I just want to get back to my house."

"Too bad for you, we don't intend to let you go!" another bandit sneered out, his mind already imagining the riches underneath the tarp. From the way the tracks of the wooden cart looked, that's some riches. He didn't know what they were, but he could bet that it would make them all wealthy.

Silently, Naruto stood on a tree, right above one of the bandits. He calculated the number of bandits around the cart, and immediately began his plans. '8 bandits,' he counted silently. 'That's easy,' he thought. He immediately memorized their locations and weapons before leaping from the tree, his plans in action.

The bandit was still laughing at the man when a heavy weight suddenly fell on top of him, sending him sprawling on the ground, knocked out from the force of the impact. Before the rest of his accomplices could react, that same tiny mass behind him grabbed two pieces of roadside rocks and flicked them towards another two men at high speeds. The two stones shattered to pieces as they hit the heads of the bandits, knocking them out cold as they fell to the ground.

"What the-" Another bandit managed to shout out before the same figure blurred towards where he was. The blur leaped right to his head before sending a spinning kick on his chin upwards, the force sending him flying up high. The blur quickly leapt on his chest, sending him sprawling on the ground, his body becoming a jumping board as it sent another bandit flying with a spin kick straight to the head, the bandit's body spinning in accordance before he fell on the ground in a heap, unconscious.

The remaining bandits looked in surprise and fear at this tiny mysterious figure that came from nowhere and took their men down. Brandishing their weapons, one of them shouted in fear, "Who the fuck are you, you brat?!"

"Me?" Naruto asked. "I was just passing by," he answered jokingly.

"Cut that crap!" the bandit yelled out. Naruto was sure that even without his Neuroglottis, he could smell the bandit's fear from afar. His eyes saw the man's increased core body temperature, a sign that adrenalin was flowing through him, ready to react to anything he did. "What the hell are you!? You can't be serious about that!"

"I'm honest," Naruto said out, not answering the man's first question. "I really was just passing by. It's just that I saw you guys trying to rob the old man here, so I decided to stop you just because."

"Fuck you!" another bandit yelled out.

Naruto just smiled as he lifted his fist beside his head. In a swift leap, he appeared in front of the terrified bandit before he punched him in the head straight at his temple, felling him like a sack of rocks. Once again utilising another man's chest as a springboard, Naruto leapt towards the next bandit.

He didn't even have time to be surprised as he felt Naruto's tiny hands grab his head, stunned still from the surprise of seeing his fellow bandit fell so easily against this brat. He could only look into Naruto's eyes before Naruto pulled his leg back and slammed his knee straight into his face, sending his head backwards with a spurt of blood, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as the hardened bone smashed straight into his face, knocking him out.

Naruto was freefalling to the ground when the final bandit rushed him from the back, his dagger raised high to stab him from above, ignoring is fellow bandit's body dropping on the ground. With a loud cry of rage, he drove the dagger straight into Naruto's back, confident of his chances of victory. He's just a tiny brat! No matter what he did, he will kill it for sure! The blade struck straight on Naruto's shoulder blades, trying to pierce him.

Key word being 'trying'.

The dagger, blunted from lack of care felt resistance as it came into contact with Naruto's tough skin, surprising the man as Naruto stood there, taking the hit without even looking. The bandit grunted as he applied more force, pushing his entire body weight on the dagger. Much to his surprise, it was unable to cut through Naruto's chakra hardened muscles, only slightly piercing his skin. "What the hell are you?!" he screamed.

After a short while of letting that dagger try to cut through his body, Naruto spun his small body, letting the dagger slip on his skin as the man stumbled forwards, his own weight working against him. Before the man could be surprised by Naruto's actions, Naruto's hand balled before he punched upwards, a powerful uppercut straight towards the man's diaphragm. Naruto's rock hard fist punched straight through the man's skin, breaking his ribs from the impact. His innards churned from Naruto's powerful punch, blood and bile quickly rising to his mouth.

"I am Astartes," Naruto answered his question before he pulled his fist, letting the man drop on the ground. His mouth opened, allowing bloody bile to pour out of his unconscious body onto the ground, staining it with blood and vomit.

Looking back at the downed bandits, Naruto dusted his hands off, admiring his handiwork. Using his strength, he pulled the men's body to the roadside, unceremoniously dumping them and leaving them there as their punishment. He then walked towards the man on the cart who was looking at him suspiciously even as he held the nearly out of control horse steady. "Who are you!? Are you trying to rob me as well? Just removing the competition?"

Naruto can't fault the old man for feeling suspicious, considering that he appeared out of nowhere to kick some bandit ass to high heaven. "I have no such intentions. I'm just here to help."

"Help?" the man asked suspiciously. "No one wants to help for free in this world!" he yelled, glaring at Naruto's naked body. "And go get some clothes!" he grunted as he looked at Naruto's body, covered only by patches of tattered leaves.

"**Naruto, just grab those bandits' clothing,"** Kurumi spoke. **"They're out cold, and they deserve it from trying to rob the old man."** Naruto just nodded, agreeing to Kurumi's words as he quickly went towards the bandits' unconscious bodies, stripping them off their clothing. Within a short while, Naruto was wearing an oversized shirt and a tattered pair of pants that was not able to fit him at all. He just tore the leg off to fit his height.

"Okay, old man," Naruto said to him, telling him what he actually wanted. "I wanted some directions. I had nowhere to go, and was hoping that someone would lead me to a town or something."

"You sure look like you need somewhere to go," the man said, looking at the oversized clothes on his body. "A tailor or a boutique, probably. Maybe some place that sold kids' clothing."

"Yeah, that's right," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I don't suppose you could help with that...?"

The old man grunted his approval. "I suppose I can, as thanks for your help. Get on," he said to Naruto, tilting his head to tell Naruto that he should sit beside him. "But I'll be watching you, mark my words!"

"Thanks!" Naruto cheerily said before he leapt up the horse cart. The cart creaked and groaned as Naruto sat on it, his weight creaking the cart's axle. "Whoa," the man said, surprised. "You're a heavy one."

"Eh, no worries," Naruto said, quickly leaping off the cart, not wanting to pressure the horse. "I'll just walk the entire way."

"You sure? It's quite far."

"No worries. Tell you what, old man. I'll be your guard and your company as you travel. How's that?"

The old man just grunted out his agreement. "Suit yourself. Let's go." The man quickly snapped the reins to his horse, urging the horse to move. As the horse cart and Astartes travelled, Naruto asked the man some questions, trying to strike up a conversation between the two.

"Hey old man."

"What?"

"You're not surprised that I'm wearing something like... that?" Naruto asked, referring to the patchwork of leaves he wore before as clothing.

"Who the hell do you think I am?" the old man said with an annoyed tone of voice. "I've lived a long life. You're not the first strange kid I saw."

"Oh," Naruto answered lamely.

Continuing to trek beside the old man's horse cart, Naruto questioned the old man again. "Old man-"

"Shiro."

"What?"

"My name. Shiro," said the old man. Naruto could see why though. He had a mop of long, white hair on his head, with his clothing being a cream coloured shirt underneath a light brown travel cloak with dark brown pants. His entire body screamed of a strong person, if the muscles on his arms and his brown face were of any indication. He must've been a hardworking person.

"Sorry about that, old man Shiro." Naruto drew a large breath and said, "It might be too late, but anyway, nice to meet you. My name is Naruto."

"Okay Naruto. So? What are you going to ask?"

"Oh yeah," he said, looking at the tarp-covered cart. "What do you do for a living? I kind of smelled iron, rocks and earth underneath that tarp among other stuff."

Shiro remained silent for a while before he replied. "I'm a blacksmith."

Before Naruto could ask, Kurumi answered. **"A blacksmith is someone who performs a multitude of jobs on iron and other metals. They could make a lot of stuff, like everyday items, even swords for some."**

"Cool job, old man Shiro. No wonder why you have those muscles and that dark skin colour."

Shiro said nothing in reply, only preferring to urge his horse forwards, ignoring Naruto's words. Naruto looked at him for a while before he silenced his mouth, continuing his nonstop sprint beside the cart. It didn't seem that the man was in a hurry to get back to wherever he came from. However, Naruto kept asking him random questions just to get him to talk, if only a little.

"Shiro-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Where do you live?"

"Somewhere."

"Shiro-san?"

"Hmph."

"Where do you came from?"

"Somewhere you have no need to know."

"Shiro-san?" Seeing his silence, Naruto continued on. "Are we there yet?"

"No, you idiot."

"Shiro-san?"

"What?" he said a bit forcefully, his tone grumpy.

"Why are you so quiet?"

"And why are you so fucking noisy?" he retorted.

"Right," he replied with a nod and a grin, causing Shiro to angrily glare at him.

-CHAPTER ENDS-

Read and review, as usual.


	13. Chapter 12: A Study and First Job

Please continue with your reading, and hopefully, you will like this story. Please read and review!

Special thanks to kylekatarn77, Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, and all the rest of you guys who helped me with the chapters, no matter how little.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: As Naruto travelled, he met a horse cart in trouble, having being attacked by bandits. He moved in, disabling the bandits and rescued the man. The man was suspicious of him, but Naruto decided to follow him anyway since he had nowhere to go and be his guard despite his refusal.

CHAPTER 12: A STUDY AND FIRST JOB

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

The morning turned to afternoon, and afternoon to dusk, yet the man's cart never stopped its slow pace, together with Naruto who never stopped walking yet didn't even look tired. The man eyed Naruto suspiciously at this, though he said nothing. After a while, night falls on them, and Shiro was about to light up a lantern when Naruto said, "No need, old man Shiro. I can see perfectly fine in the dark."

Shiro snorted and replied, "You sure can, but I sure as hell can't!"

"I'll be your eyes then, Shiro-san. What direction are we going?"

He looked at where he thought Naruto would be, his suspicion increasing as he said so. Finally, he said, "Nope. I'll just light up a lantern." Reaching a hand into the tarp, he took out a lantern and a stick. The stick was inserted into a hole at the cart, and the lantern was lighted after he tinkered around with a box of tinder. The lantern was then hung on the pole, the light illuminating the immediate surroundings with a yellowish light.

Naruto said nothing, only preferring to watch the road ahead for any threats. After a while, he asked. "Shiro-san, why do you prefer to travel at night?" he realised this as he watched Shiro's face becoming just a bit calmer than he was originally, something that puzzled Naruto.

He remained silent, not answering Naruto's question. Naruto just let him be, not bugging him for an answer. But after a while, Shiro replied anyway. "Felt better during the night." Naruto said nothing at this. He understood as well, only having the night as his friend as he trained and hunted for his food, trying his earnest to survive to the next day to gain enough nutrition for his body. Even so, something must've happened to the man if he could say something like that with a straight face.

Through the night the man, the boy and one horse walked, no words between them after that question as Naruto scanned his surroundings, observing anything that passes for any threats or danger as Shiro had his horse slowly trot at a sedate pace, not in any kind of hurry even as he looked towards the strangely alert and energetic Naruto despite the fact that he was walking beside him non-stop from this morning.

A couple of hours later, Shiro stopped at a slightly open area before he said, "It's too dark now. Let's camp here and take a break."

"Okay," Naruto said, agreeing with his suggestion as he went towards the centre of the open area and started preparing a small campfire for them as Shiro went and tied his horse to a tree, the cart together with it. As he did the tying motions with well practiced hands, his eyes wandered to the tiny figure of Naruto, his mind trying to figure out his real motive.

Sure, he may have helped him repel those bandits early this morning, but his sudden arrival, his combat skills and his strength, not to mention the fact that his skin was impenetrable by that dull dagger the bandit used. It may be dull, but with enough strength it could still pierce someone. Yet, not even a scratch was visible. The fact that he was naked just made his suspicions grew.

"Shiro-san, you got something to eat?"

Naruto's question snapped Shiro out of his reverie as he looked at him across the merrily crackling campfire that he set up, his small figure sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of the warm fire.

"No, not really," he answered. "I wasn't planning on my trip needing two people, so I only have enough supplies for me."

"That's fine," Naruto replied. "I'll just hunt or forage something up." Naruto stood and disappeared into the darkness of the forest, his footsteps unheard by Shiro as he stood where he was, looking at the direction where Naruto disappeared.

"That kid is scary," he slowly said to himself. For some mysterious reason, he managed to disappear without a single trace, almost as if he was never there. No sound, no smell, nothing. The way he fought those bandits this morning showed that he was at least somewhat skilled, albeit still young. As it is, he barrelled through with nothing but extreme brute force.

Going to his cart, he reached for his food supply: a packet of beef jerky made especially for long distance journeys like this. Taking a bite of the jerky, he chewed it even as his mind thought back towards Naruto. As far as he could tell, he really had no bad intentions. His presence was just happenstance, not premeditated. His words about him having no place to go were also truthful, which makes his situation even odder.

Ripping off another strip, he continued his mental analysis of Naruto. His physical body was very strong, being able to keep up with his horse through the entire day on foot. Though he acted like he wasn't surprised, his endurance really shocked him. No matter how strong someone would be, no way could someone do something like that. Even animals need rest, and yet he looked like he could still go on even as he went into the wilds for his food.

Also, why was he naked and out here? A boy that old shouldn't be out here alone with nowhere to go. Even orphans and town boys don't wander far from their hometown. And even so, they were usually clothed, not naked like a newborn.

Finishing his quick dinner, he took out his sleeping bag from his cart before giving his horse a quick brush, smiling as he heard the happy neigh that it made before giving it a nice pat, an appreciation of its long service with him. As the horse started to lie down, Shiro went towards the fire, still crackling merrily. "You're a boy of many mysteries, Naruto," he said slowly.

"Well, not really."

Naruto's sudden voice made him leap in surprise as he quickly turned around, looking towards Naruto who appeared suddenly beside him like a ghost, not a single step was heard. "Fuck!" he yelled out in shock. "You appeared out of fucking nowhere!"

"Sorry about that," Naruto said sheepishly. "Kinda used to doing that from where I came from," he added. "Anyway, I've had my dinner, so you can sleep. I'll keep watch."

"And have you steal my stuff? I'd rather not."

Naruto just shrugged at this reply, already expecting it. "Whatever, old man. I don't mind, really. I could keep watch by myself, no problem. Go and get some nice sleep. You need it anyway, with your age," Naruto said with a grin.

"Hmph. Youngsters nowadays with their I-own-the-world attitude, you sicken me," he shot back, giving a glare towards Naruto. "I'll sit here too. Can't let you untrustworthy youngsters guard my stuff," he said as he sat cross-legged on the ground, his sleeping bag behind him. However, he can't help but smell the faint scent of blood wafting from Naruto. "Hey kid," he said, catching Naruto's attention.

"What is it?"

The man hesitated a bit before he finally asked. "…You smell of blood."

"Oh. I thought I washed it already," Naruto said, breathing into his hand to check. "Yeah, there is. And here I thought I cleaned it all."

"Blood isn't as easy to remove as that," Shiro said, his eyes looking far away, as if reminiscing. "Where did it come from anyway?"

"There's this forest rat I caught," Naruto answered honestly.

"**Naruto, don't-"** but it was too late. Kurumi completely forgot about the fact that Naruto wasn't really someone who knew human customs and habits, having not lived well since he was a toddler.

Shiro just looked at him strangely before he said. "You're an odd one, you know that?"

"Yeah, I kind of do," Naruto said bashfully.

The night passed by quickly as both Naruto and Shiro kept watch over everything around them, the night not bothering Naruto one bit. After a while, Shiro's head started to bob, a sure sign that he was sleepy. Naruto, however, was chatting with Kurumi in his head.

"**Naruto, that wasn't really how regular humans eat," **she said. **"Luckily, Shiro somehow managed to ignore that sudden slip or something."**

'Then how do they eat?' Naruto asked, his curiosity sparked.

"**They usually cook their meat instead of eating it raw,"** she answered. **"You chewed everything of that rat. A regular person would leave the bones since he cannot use it. The meat is then placed on a fire to cook it instead of eating it raw. Only your enhanced body allow you to do that. They contain who knows how many germs and potential toxins, so they only select certain parts of the animal to eat while discarding the rest. It may sound like a waste, but that's the only part that they could eat."**

Naruto remained silent at this, having no reply. He then looked at the nodding figure of Shiro. "Hey old man," he said. "If you can't hold on anymore, just go to sleep. I swear I won't steal anything."

Shiro snapped out of his torpor at this and glared at Naruto. "I can hold myself better than this," he said. "Your concern is not needed."

"Okay then. We'll see later."

True to form, Shiro kept a lookout through the entire night, even as sleepy as he was. However, Naruto didn't need to have much real life experience to see that he was sleepy. His hands kept slipping as he placed the reins of his horse on it and on his cart. He even slipped once as he tried to leap on the cart and only managed to avoid injuries due to Naruto who grabbed him quickly before he could fall flat on the ground. And now, the two were travelling together again, Naruto walking beside the cart as the sleepy Shiro handled the cart, eye bags underneath his eyes as he yawned during the bright morning.

"You know, you look sleepy," Naruto said. "Why not just stop early and sleep? You really look like you need it."

"You…" Shiro said, already fed up of Naruto's constant talking. "You're annoying."

"Some say that I am," Naruto said with a smile. Though that some was only one person, who was Kurumi.

Shiro said nothing as he looked straight to Naruto's face. Giving his face a slap to freshen it up a bit, he snapped his horse's reins, urging it to go faster. "Hiyah!" he yelled, making his horse's slow trot became a gallop as it pulled the cart faster, leaving Naruto.

"Hey! Where're you going?!" Naruto said before he ran, effortlessly matching speeds with the cart. Shiro watched in amazement as Naruto kept up with him, sweat barely flowing from his body as he ran beside him. "Old man Shiro! I know you hate me, but don't leave me!"

'He won't last too long with this pace,' he thought with an evil grin. "Catch me if you can, kid!" he yelled before he snapped the reins again, making the horse go even faster.

"Shit!" Naruto cursed aloud before he pumped his legs even more, catching up with the cart as he ran beside it.

"How the hell could you catch up?!" Shiro complained loudly on his cart.

"I just can!" Naruto countered back even as he ran together with the cart.

"Then try this one for size!" Shiro once again pushed his horse as fast as it could go, dust billowing from the wheels as his horse sped up to leave Naruto behind.

Never one to back down easily, Naruto quickly ran as fast as his body could move, going just as fast as the cart, sweat dripping down his body as he caught up with the speeding cart. "Caught you!" he whooped in joy as he ran as fast as he could beside the cart.

"Let's see how long you can run!" he hollered before he pushed his horse even further.

"I'll _show_ you how long I can run, old man!" Naruto shot back before keeping pace entirely with his horse, despite the death glare that Shiro kept shooting at him, which he just smiled back in reply.

-A WHILE LATER-

Shiro was forced to let his horse rest for a while as it reached the limits of its endurance. Much to his bewilderment and disappointment, Naruto managed to catch up with him easily, panting for breath slightly as he stood beside Shiro, letting his tiny body be dwarfed by Shiro's comparatively large stature. "What the hell are you?" Shiro asked, his voice a mixture of amazement and curiosity.

"As I said to that bandit the other day, I am Astartes," Naruto said, letting his sweat dry up as he took a little breather that he didn't actually need. "Told you I can run."

"What the hell is an Astartes?" Shiro questioned.

"Uh…" Naruto dragged out, not wanting to say that it was a bloodline. "It's what I am."

Shiro glared at Naruto in suspicion before he finally said with a sigh, "You got me, kid. Alright, since you're so bloody persistent, you can accompany me. But nothing shady!"

"Yes, sir!" Naruto responded with a mock salute. But, he was actually chatting with Kurumi. 'I sure showed him I can run!'

"**Of course you can!"** Kurumi said, thumping her chest. **"The bloodline was meant to let you last longer than anyone and anything! The Multi-Lung helped air exchange in your body, the Secondary Heart helped blood flow and the Haemastamen's modifications helped carry oxygen more efficiently to all parts of your body, which when combined with the enhanced muscles from your Biscopea, gave you unmatched stamina, speed and strength. If you were to maintain that speed just now, you could continue running for several days non-stop! Though I'm not sure how many days…"**

'Wow! That's awesome!' Naruto said happily. "Thanks. Old man Shiro!" he voiced his happiness. "You won't regret it!"

"And I already did," Shiro countered with a sigh. "Thanks to that race just now, we already went about a quarter of the original distance that I have to travel, so in a way, you actually helped save time," he said, looking at the bright side. "We can actually reach my place in about two days."

"That's fine! I'll keep you company all the way!" Naruto cheerfully said.

"And once again I'm regretting my decision." Naruto had a large grin on his face as he heard this.

-BREAK-

And so, Naruto and Shiro started their travel, with Naruto bugging Shiro all the time with his incessant questions. However, Shiro noticed quite a lot of things that was strange with Naruto.

One of the strangest things was his eating habits. He once saw Naruto wiping blood off his mouth and said that he was eating a forest rat that he found, together with other things. He didn't bother to ask what things though. He ate anything, from fallen fruits to bugs that happen to fly in front of him, an action that he coincidentally managed to see. There was even a time where he thought that he saw Naruto eating a lump of rock, but he dismissed that as his own imagination made by his suspicion of the kid.

The second thing that he noticed was his insanely sensitive senses. He could hear the sound of breathing from animals around him, even use it as a detector of sorts for him to hunt. His eyes can see in the darkest night, and just him perching on a tree allowed him to see things that he was sure no regular human could. His sense of smell was so good, he could even smell the remnants of food he ate and determine what it is in an instant. He had no idea of any of his other senses, but what he noticed was beyond amazing.

Another was the fact that he didn't seem to sleep. He was up for a long time just to see if the kid would do anything strange. Yet, Naruto was still fresh as a daisy even when he was quite sleepy and sometimes even dropped in a dead sleep. Yet, every time Shiro woke up, he saw that the kid was raring to go, and somehow could still catch up with his cart even when Naruto had even less of a sleep than he did.

However, he knew that Naruto was a good kid. His words held no lie to them, not to mention the fact that he saved him. Honest and sincere, he had been keeping him company for quite some time while being strong enough to repel any attacks, as evidenced when two highwaymen came out of nowhere and Naruto beat them half dead to protect him. He was just a weird kid though, and that's what bugged him. There was so much oddity in his mere existence that Shiro couldn't help but to try and solve the puzzle that was Naruto.

After another day of brisk walking for both of them and the horse, they finally reached his house and his shop in an unnamed town. Naruto eyed Shiro's house. It was fairly large, with what he assumed was a workshop at the side with a chimney, probably for his furnace. The large main house probably doubled as the store as well, though the front didn't look like it was a smithy at first sight. The smell of metal, polishing oil and coal said otherwise though. Escorting Shiro to the back of his house, he saw that he had a shed, probably to place his horse in with another shed acting as storage if the concentration of earthy scent were to be believed.

Naruto followed Shiro as he detached his horse from the cart and steered him towards his shed before piling a bale of hay in his cage and placing some fresh water into the trough, something that the horse happily neighed at before proceeding to eat his food. Shiro then pulled the tarp on the cart open, revealing the sight of his many items that he probably bought before he met Naruto. Naruto saw that he might need help with carrying the items that he bought, so he freely offered himself.

"Here, let me help with that, old man." Without waiting for a reply, Naruto went ahead to the cart and immediately started lifting everything that he could in one go before taking it to the old shed at the back of the house and placed it there. With Shiro's further instructions, he also arranged everything that he carried into the shed.

Shiro watched with sharp eyes as Naruto worked. Whatever he thought about him, he couldn't deny that Naruto was a hard worker with a strong body despite his age. He worked tirelessly, following every order without complaint. He was sure if he were to do the same thing that Naruto did, he would be tired as hell. As it stands, Naruto didn't even have a drop of sweat on his body.

"Anything else, old man?" Naruto asked once he finished unloading the cart.

Shiro remained silent as he stared at Naruto's face, trying to fathom what the young boy was thinking. Finally, he said as he turned around to walk into his house through its back door. "Nothing else," he said. "Thanks for accompanying me on that trip. Good luck to you in the future," he said as he opened the door, one foot already behind the frame.

"Hey old man! Wait!" Naruto called out.

Shiro's footsteps halted as he heard Naruto calling out to him. With a grumpy voice, he said, "What? We're done. I'm here, and you can leave now."

"Uh…" Naruto hesitated for a bit before continuing. "I… actually have nowhere to go. I…" he said, dragging his words, trying to delay his request.

"Speak up, you brat!" Shiro yelled at him. His slow words were annoying him!

"Yes!" Naruto squeaked out in fear. He may be capable of fighting against a powerful ninja with nothing but bare hands and his acid spit, but human interaction still eluded him a bit. "I uh… Can I work with you?"

Though Shiro still expected this, he made a shocked look nonetheless, just to test Naruto's reaction to this. "Hmm… I don't know…"

"Please!" Naruto pleaded as he fell on his knees and bowed, his head on the ground as he pleaded to this stranger. "I'll do anything you ask of me!"

"Anything?" Shiro asked.

"Anything!"

"Why should I accept you?" he said as he walked in front of Naruto's kneeling figure, his aura as intimidating as his words. "I have never had any workers before. I am perfectly capable of working alone, despite my age. Why should I take you as my worker?"

By this point, Naruto was almost completely devastated. He had nothing, he had nowhere to stay at, no money, no food, no clothing, nothing at all." "I…" he spoke, trying to appeal to Shiro. "I had nothing. I had no friends, no family, no money, and I'm sure you realised that I didn't have a lot of human contact."

Lifting his head, he looked at Shiro's angry brown eyes, meeting his glare with his own resolute stare from his sapphire blue eyes. "I lived alone from birth. My parents died when I was young, and the orphanage that I lived in hated me. Finally, they chased me out, not wanting anything to do with me. They didn't even gave me any clothes. I have no knowledge, no human contact, nothing. So please, I beg you… please let me work here and stay with you."

Shiro's glare softened at Naruto's words. Sure, he already knew that the kid didn't have much in terms of human contact from the way he acts, but he never expected it to be that terrible. However, there must be a reason to it. From the way he looked and acted, he was probably from a ninja village, though he had no idea where, and that body of his was from his bloodline. "Answer me these questions then," he said. "Where did you come from?"

"Konoha."

The answer surprised Shiro. He never expected that a village that was known as one of the friendliest among all the villages actually chased him out, and causing him to run away from the village. Strange. "Who taught you then?" he asked quite forcefully. "Who taught you words and how to fight? From the way you sounded, no one taught you anything, is that right?"

"Right." The old man's sharp mind confounded Naruto a bit. He never expected a grumpy old man like him to be able to figure that out, especially in the very brief time that they met each other. Hidden depths indeed.

"Who taught you?!" Shiro questioned forcefully, trying to piece together the puzzle of contradiction that was Naruto.

Naruto was about to answer, but as he opened his mouth to speak, Kurumi said, **"Don't say anything, Naruto."**

'What?' Naruto asked back incredulously. 'But this is the only way for me to gain a place to stay!'

"**But telling him that you have a bijuu within you will not be a good idea, right?"**

Naruto remained silent at this. It's completely true, if what he went through before could be believed. And so, he made his decision on what to say to the old man. "I cannot say."

"What?"

"I cannot say," Naruto repeated. "I have my secrets too, old man. Maybe one day, but definitely not now."

Shiro continued his piercing glare towards Naruto, watching his bright eyes for any signs of deceit and bad intents, analysing his entire body posture for anything that showed his actual intent. Much to his relief, he saw nothing of such. After waiting another moment just to see the unflappable boy sweat nervously on the ground, he finally sighed.

"Hmm… Alright then," Shiro said, accepting Naruto's work offer. "But I won't be giving you any money! I'll give you a place to stay, food to eat, and nothing else! Just work, work and more work! Are you willing to accept that?"

"Yes! I will!" Naruto replied gratefully, his so-called threat doing nothing to dissuade him from accepting his offer.

"Then get up. We got work to do," he said, finally entering his house. Before his body disappeared into the confines of his house, his head popped out for a bit. "Get in first," he said. "You'll need some change of clothes first."

"Yes, please!" he said, being more grateful than he ever had to anyone that was not Kurumi. Following behind Shiro, he pulled the door open before entering the house. "Excuse me for intruding," he politely said as he entered, looking around the quite large house for anything of note.

He entered the kitchen, a regular kitchen with nothing special. The stove had the signs of firewood on it, a sure sign of its use. The pots and pans were probably made by Shiro himself, considering his profession as a smith. All in all, nothing irregular. Naruto continued on, following Shiro's back through the doorway that separates the kitchen and the living room.

"Old man Shiro," Naruto called him out as they passed by the living room.

"What?"

"Do you even have clothes my size?"

This actually stopped Shiro in his steps. How the hell didn't he think about that before?! Turning back, he faced Naruto. "I do, my old child's clothing." hearing this, Naruto's enthusiasm started to grow as his face brightened. However, Shiro added. "But I'll need to wait until she's back before I gave them to you. For now, you're stuck with that patchwork rags that you call clothing."

"I don't mind," Naruto replied whole-heartedly. Any clothes were fine for him right now, no matter what. "I'll wait."

"Good," Shiro grunted out. "Now I'm going to sleep. Wait till they come back and wake me up. That's your first order of business."

"Roger that, boss!" Naruto said, snapping a flimsy salute at him as he watched him walk to what he presumed was his bedroom.

"Don't do that," he grumpily retorted. "And don't call me boss. It makes me feel old."

"Okay old man!" Naruto cheerily said, ignoring the sigh Shiro let out before he watched as he disappeared into his room. Quickly he took note of everything else in the house. All the furniture in the house was simple things, made of wood and was more intent on sturdiness than looks. The house itself was plain to a fault, the insides having no decorations or even any items on display.

He went ahead to the front part of the house and observed the shop area. The shop and the house were separated by a thin curtain with the displays all having regular farming tools for the local populace. The entire room itself smelled of iron and oil, a sure sign of a smithy. 'Well, it looks like the house doesn't have too much stuff. He's definitely a very frugal person.'

"**Naruto, with him sleeping, you could continue your training,"** Kurumi said. **"We'll use the night then. Create one clone that could create more, and let that one clone find a secluded place to create more clones. That would allow a quick increase in skill level in a short time. In fact, we could start to train your chakra element manipulation fairly quickly, thanks to the Linker Core. At the same time, you'll meditate and study seals with me in here."**

'Yeah, sounds good,' Naruto replied. Kurumi quickly told Naruto of what the clones will be training in today before Naruto crossed his fingers and made the one clone who quickly went away to get to a secret area to train as he sat on the ground cross legged to learn more on seals with Kurumi.

-CHAPTER END-

So how was it? Read and review!


	14. Chapter 13: Family

Once more, thanks to the awesome kylekatarn77, Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, and all the rest of you guys who helped in the (re)making of this chapter.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: During the time Naruto guarded Shiro, the old man observed his impromptu guard, taking note of his characteristics and the bizarre things that he did. But ultimately he relented, allowing Naruto to follow and guard him. And after they reached his house, he dismissed him, but Naruto pleaded to stay and work under him. He rejected him at first, not wanting to take a secretive stranger into his home, but he judged Naruto to be a capable and honest worker and took him in as his worker. As Shiro went for a siesta, Naruto trained with Kurumi in his mindscape.

CHAPTER 13: FAMILY

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

The one hour he spent meditating with Kurumi in the middle of the hallway was very beneficial indeed. In just a short time, he managed to absorb seal-theory like a dry sponge to water, quickly increasing his library of seals and its mechanics. Although they were just for basic seals, he didn't need Kurumi teaching him about it to know that they were the building blocks of powerful seals that could change the world.

As he himself trained his seal-making, all one thousand of his clones that was created later followed Kurumi's orders and trained in their chakra affinity, going for broke by practicing all 5 elemental transformations at the same time. The single clone that was sent first found a nice isolated space for them to train, a large open lake in the forest located about 10 minutes of high-speed travelling from old man Shiro's house.

During the training, they hadn't manage to do anything that Kurumi told them to: make a leaf crumble for earth element, make it dry for fire, slice it in half for wind, hydrate it with water and create sparks between two fingers for lightning even with two hundred clones working on each. Kurumi wasn't too sure about the elements, but she had the basic feeling of what each element should feel like, something that her previous containers all taught her. She used that and what little they taught her as the basis of the elemental training. However, their insane chakra capacity, perfect chakra control, immense regeneration, unlimited perseverance and sheer numbers would allow them to learn it easily, Kurumi said.

During the training session as well, Naruto found out something special about his clones. Because each clone had Linker Cores, this gave them chakra regeneration as well, allowing them to stay indefinitely even though they were not actually supposed to, since the jutsu was supposed to disable the clones' chakra regeneration. It looked as if the Astartes bloodline had more benefits than both he and Kurumi initially thought. This allowed them to stay and continue their training even late through the day, maybe even until they collapsed from lack of sleep.

Naruto's meditation and teaching session was interrupted as he heard the sound of footsteps coming closer to the house. Ignoring the voices, he continued his study session with Kurumi before a voice caught his ears. "Hello! Husband! Are you here?" the voice, one of a lady's, spoke.

Naruto then heard the voice said to someone else. "It seems that your father isn't here."

"Whaaaat? Really?" said a smaller voice, one he identified as a boy's.

"But mom! Ki is back!" said another voice, a girl's this time.

"Really?" the woman said before Naruto heard her stepping towards the pathway beside the house, the same path that he walked down before. "Yeah, that's his footprints." Naruto then heard the voice opening the front door before entering the house. "Husband! We're home!"

Naruto just ignored these voices, intent on completing his teaching session with Kurumi. Suddenly, he heard the steps of the boy as he ran into the house, kicking his footwear at the same time. "Dad! We're-" his voice stopped as he saw the small figure of a cross legged Naruto sitting on the floor of the house. "Who are you?!" the boy yelled before running outside. "Mom! There's a weird boy in the house!" he yelled out loud.

"What?" the lady entered the house before she saw the same sight as her son. "Wha – Who are you?!" she said in surprise at Naruto.

Slowly opening his eyes, Naruto looked at the people interrupting his meditation. The lady was a nice looking woman, with round brown eyes with a slim figure, her long black hair flowing behind her purple coloured shirt with a brown coat on it. The boy was hiding behind his mother's left leg, while the girl was behind her mother's right. Both of them had white hair, showing that Shiro's white hair wasn't due to age, but genetics. Both of them also had their mother's round eyes of the same colour. From the way they looked, together with their similar brown shirt and black pants, Naruto assumed that they were twins.

Standing up, Naruto said to them. "Oh. Sorry. Old man Shiro told me to wake him up when you came back. Please wait." Naruto then headed straight towards the room where Shiro entered and knocked it loudly. "Hey old man!" he yelled. "Your wife's back!"

Ignoring their glares on him, Naruto heard the sound of a bed creaking, a person leaping before scrambling towards the door. Stepping aside, Naruto let the door open as Shiro rushed outside to greet his wife. "Yumi! You're back!" he said loudly before hugging his wife, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

However, much to his chagrin, his wife, now named Yumi, pushed him away before yelling at him. "Shiro! Who's that?!" she yelled out, pointing a finger at Naruto's figure.

"Oh that?" he said. "That's Naruto. He saved me from some bandits, and I took him as my worker since he had nowhere to go to."

Yumi looked at Naruto from top to bottom, taking everything about him in. His oversized clothing, his looks, everything about him as she kept her glare. Finally, she relented with a sigh. "Okay then," she said. "Though I am angry with you letting in a stranger into the house, I trust your judgement." He was never wrong about it anyway. "So who's this?"

"As Shiro-san said before, I am Naruto," he said with a respectful bow. "I hoped to be able to work with Shiro-san as his assistant or whatever, and thankfully, he accepted me. Good day to you, miss Yumi."

"Naruto-chan, good day to you as well," she said, returning the bow and the greeting. "I am Shiro's wife, Yumi, and these two are twins, our son and daughter, Koutarou and Kagami."

"Nice to meet you too," Naruto said, flashing a smile on his face as he looked at the terrified kids behind Yumi. He slowly walked towards the two before he offered the two a hand. "Come here, you two. I don't bite."

The twins slowly peeked their heads from behind their mother's legs before they slowly, with fearful steps, went towards this strange boy in front of them, his figure sending a feeling of fear within their young hearts. However, the boy, Koutarou, braved himself and slowly walked towards Naruto, a hand outstretched to Naruto's own. Kagami, seeing her twin head towards the frightening figure despite his trembling legs, joined him as they both paced slowly towards where Naruto was.

Naruto was smiling as he saw the twins slowly overcoming their fear as they walked towards him, his outstretched hand ready to meet theirs. He had a large smile on their face as they came closer to him, their childish behaviour something that he found refreshing in comparison to the hostile and angry looks he always received. And as soon as their fingers touched, Naruto felt something. An electrical sensation between them, almost as if there was some kind of understanding as he grabbed their hands with his own, feeling their skin on his.

Still with the same megawatt smile on his face, he shook both hands at the same time, feeling their fearful gaze on him disappear as they felt the strange being in front of them. "I'm Naruto!" Naruto introduced himself. "And starting from today, I'm going to be your father's worker!"

The boy's frown flipped into a smile as fast as lightning as he saw Naruto's happy face before he introduced himself as well. "I'm Koutarou! I'm 9 years old!"

"I'm Kagami…" Kagami said, still fearful of Naruto, not to mention that weird thing on his hand that seemed to coat it like a thin film. "Koutarou's twin."

"Nice meeting all of you," Naruto said after he stood from his crouching position, giving another bow. "Thank you for letting me stay here, Yumi-san."

Watching Naruto's interaction with his wife, Shiro grumpily said, "You give my wife a good greeting, but you still called me an old man."

"That's because you are an old man, dear," Yumi said, a small giggle floating from her mouth. "But you're still my love," she said with a smile before returning Shiro's kiss on his cheek.

At this, Shiro stood still for a while, stunned, before he said with a very wistful tone, "I'm home."

"Welcome home, dear," Yumi replied with a smile.

Naruto watched this scene together with the twins, a feeling of homeliness unlike anything that he ever felt before radiated from the family of four as he watched the two kids looking at their parents with smiles on their face.

'So… this is a happy family, eh?' Naruto said, the warm and fuzzy feeling shining brightly from the family of four.

"**Naruto…"** Kurumi said in regret, still not letting go of the fact that she killed Minato and Kushina.

'Don't worry, Kurumi-chan,' he tried to calm her down, though the sadness in his voice would still be apparent to anyone listening. 'I forgave you already, remember? You did nothing wrong. It's not your fault.'

"**But still…"**

'It's alright,' Naruto said with a sad smile on his face. 'I'll make sure to use everything in my life to replace that lost happiness later.'

Wiping a tear, Kurumi just nodded at Naruto's words, understanding what he meant by that. **"Alright Naruto. Live your life well, and don't fail your parents."**

'I will' Naruto said, a small smile gracing his face. 'And I want you to be there with me at all times.'

Kurumi had a small blush on her face as he said that. Such a trust was definitely one of a kind, and there was nothing she could say that would make Naruto take it back. **"I will, Naruto. Believe it."**

After all, Uzumakis were as stubborn as a mountain.

"So, boss," Naruto said with a grin as he broke apart the heart warming moment between the family. "What's my first task?"

Shiro was snapped back to the moment as he heard Naruto speak up, cursing him for killing the moment. "Your first task… is to get the fuck out of here!" Shiro said, tossing a slipper towards Naruto as he dodged with incredible dexterity. "Stop bugging my nice moments!"

Naruto quickly dashed away from the house through the back door, but not before blowing a raspberry towards the fuming Shiro before disappearing through the back door, his last laugh echoing through the kitchen. Sighing, Shiro said, "Seriously… That boy's a handful."

"I can see it," Yumi replied with a gentle smile of her own. She looked at her husband's face, noting the faraway look he had in his eyes. "You seem fond of him."

"I… have to admit I am," he returned with a bit of hesitation in his words. "He's… different. He's strong, which means that he could help a lot in my job. And he's tenacious, that boy."

"But he's too young to be your assistant," she said after a moment's hesitation. "Why did you pick him?"

Shiro remained silent for a while, trying to reply to his wife's question. It was a good question, and he cannot deny it. "He... is different," he spoke. "He's not a regular boy, that's for sure. Despite his young age, he managed to drop multiple bandits alone."

"How..." Yumi gasped. "How can someone his age do that?!"

"I'm not sure," he shrugged. "He's trained in combat, but I'm not sure how experienced he was. I assume that he was only recently trained, yet the way he moved doesn't really show it." He remained silent for a while before adding. "He kept some secrets though. I don't need to be a mind reader to know that."

"What do you think about him?"

"Despite his secrets, he's a good kid," he replied without hesitation. "All his movements and words were honest. He's as honest as they come. He came from Konoha, which was quite strange."

"Konoha?" Yumi questioned. "They should take care of a child that age, not leave him running in the world without assistance!"

"Anyone should, not just Konoha," he nodded, agreeing with her statement. "Yet I believe it's tied to his secret. Or secrets. The only other thing that I know was that he called himself Astartes, whatever that means."

"That's a strange word."

"It is," he nodded in agreement. "I never heard of it." Both of them stopped their speech, letting the wind entering their house blew around them before Shiro continued. "But he can keep his secrets. He's honest, strong, hardworking, and very energetic. I don't think there's any issue with him living with us."

Yumi smiled. She trusted her husband's assessment wholly, and he never failed her. Not once. He was a master at judging people, and so she just deferred to him if need be. "He sounds like a good boy. Maybe you could teach him your forging skills, take him as your apprentice."

"That will have to wait. I can't just teach anyone my skills, you know." Shiro chastised his wife.

"I know, and we'll have to wait and see," his wife said. "Now, let's see… Lunch?"

"Oh so very much, my love," Shiro said before heading outside as well. "No orders today?"

"No."

"Then I better have that new pair of hands do something useful," Shiro replied as he walked outside, going to meet Naruto.

Meanwhile, Naruto was outside, already stretching his small body to perform some exercises. "Well, if that old man won't give me any work, I'll just have to move my body a bit!" he said aloud.

"Not so fast, youngster," came Shiro's voice from behind him. "We got a job to do. You need to help me cut some lumber for firewood."

"Alright," Naruto said. "Where's the place?"

"There," Shiro said, pointing towards a small shed that stored firewood, if Naruto's sense of smell caught it right. It was the same kind of smell from the store beside his at the orphanage, so it was quite familiar to him aster Kurumi explained about it to him. "The axe is beside that stump over there, so go ahead and start chopping. I'll need that shed filled."

"Alright." Rolling his arms within their sockets, Naruto went towards the shed. It wasn't big, but there were a lot of logs to chop. The stump looked worn from the constant cutting that it went through its life, an axe lying beside it. Picking the axe up, he observed it. The axe looked like a very high quality one, from the way the edge glinted in the sunlight. Testing its sharpness, Naruto licked his finger before running it over the edge. "Oh!" Naruto exclaimed as he saw that his finger was bleeding slightly afterwards, though it healed in an instant. "Wow! That was sharp!"

"**Indeed,"** Kurumi said. **"That was really something else. Whoever this old man is, he isn't your run-of-the-mill smith. You better learn everything he could teach you, Naruto.**"

'Yeah,' he replied, agreeing. Placing a log on the stump, Naruto took the axe and lifted it two handed, the size of the handle unable to fit his tiny hands. "Hah!" with a shout, he brought the axe down with extreme speed, his pure strength pushing it ahead. Much to his surprise, the axe not only split the log with a loud thwack, but also the huge stump underneath it, cutting through it without much resistance. "Damn!"

"**You need to-"**

'I know, I know. I need to learn to control my strength.' Naruto looked back towards the stump, the gash on it looking like a gaping wound. 'But I never expected it to be that sharp.'

Taking the split log, Naruto continued chopping it, controlling his strength this time, before he finally split it to eight equal pieces. "That's one down!" he yelled out before picking another log up and continuing his task. Secretly, Naruto's clones were all actually training somewhere else, not wanting to waste the chance given to them by Naruto's job.

A bit farther away, Shiro stood watching Naruto as he boisterously chopped the logs. He saw how shocked he was when the axe actually cut his finger, and he understood why. When he fought the bandits, their dagger, dull as it was, was unable to pierce his skin, which showed him just how tough his skin actually was. 'What are you, Naruto?' Shiro said to himself, though he knew the answer already.

"_I am Astartes."_

He remembered Naruto's words to the bandits as he knocked the final one out. What is that? What's an Astartes? Who was he? These and many other questions float around in his mind as he entered his house again, satisfied with the way Naruto was doing his job. 'You are a complete mystery, Naruto.'

-BREAK-

Finishing his task, Naruto placed the strangely sharp axe back where it was, at the stump beside the pile of firewood in the shed. He then headed straight back to the house. Pushing the wooden door open, he yelled out, "Hey old man! Anything else?"

Shiro popped from his room at this before he said, "Nothing! That's all so far."

"Where's your wife?" Naruto asked.

"She's looking for your shirt," he said.

"Wow thanks!" Naruto said out loud in gratitude, his happiness sparkling on his face. He then said to Shiro. "I'm going out for a bit. See you later." Immediately, Naruto turned around and exited the house, intent on continuing his training.

Shiro watched warily as Naruto left. He still couldn't shake off the suspicion he had of the kid. He was too… silent. He appeared like death, and disappeared like it too. What kind of life did someone lead to have such silent steps? Steps that seemed like they were made due to fear, of avoiding discovery.

-BREAK-

The sun was setting as Naruto headed back to the house. Along the way, he recalled what his clones have learned. Though they hadn't advanced too far, they managed to perform all the elemental nature exercises at a minute level. This actually showed that the training method had promise, and he replaced the clones he made before, just to gain their knowledge, something that would help when he made the next batch of clones. He hadn't started on any jutsu yet though, Kurumi not wanting to let him learn them until he had the basics down pat.

However, his sealcraft was proceeding without a hitch. Everything that Kurumi taught him was quickly absorbed, both theory and design. Just by seeing a seal's design, when combined with his chakra sight, it allowed him to understand how they function, allowing him to crack seals in a very short while. Or at least, that's what Kurumi theorised, since seals, at its basis, were just lines of chakra flow.

"I'm back," Naruto said as he pushed open the back door of the kitchen, only to meet the angry face of Yumi.

"Naruto!" she yelled out. "Where were you?!" she added, the ladle in her hand shaking from anger.

Naruto was visibly shocked at this. Why was she angry?! "Uh…" Naruto stammered out. "Somewhere…?"

Yumi kept her glare on him before she finally relented, sighing in defeat. "At least you came back," she said. "We're about to have dinner, and you're welcome."

Listening to this jolted Naruto out of his shock. "What?!" he gasped. "I… I'm invited to dinner?" he slowly questioned.

"Sure are, kid," came the voice of Shiro as he leaned on the doorway between the kitchen and the front area of the house. "You're my worker now. And since you have nowhere to stay, you're welcome to stay here."

"I… I can?" Naruto slowly stammered out, not believing his ears. "I… I was expecting to have to stay outside!"

"Who the hell do you think I am?!" Shiro said, his voice a little bit angry. "I won't let my worker, a homeless kid, stay outside! The weather's terrible around here, and you might just die from it! I cannot lose an employee who hasn't even learned the basics of the trade to the bloody weather!"

"I…" Naruto said, no words could express the gratitude that he felt right now. "…Okay," he finally said, entering the house from the back door before following Shiro towards the dining table, where his two children were already waiting for dinner. However, Naruto realised a problem. A simple conundrum, one that hadn't reached his mind before:

Where would he sit on the table? They had enough chairs for themselves, and none for another extra.

As if expecting this line of thought, Shiro went to a door close to the dining table. A closet, Naruto thought before he took out a wooden chair from within the closet. He carried the chair towards the table where Naruto awaited, his eyes wide at his hospitality. "We don't get many visitors, so we usually store the chairs," he said, turning away from Naruto's wide eyes. "Don't look at me like that."

"T-thanks..." Naruto stammered out as he sat on the chair, feeling the obviously handcrafted feel of the chair as he sat on it. Shiro nodded before he pulled his chair and sat on it, observing Naruto's reaction to everything with a keen eye.

"Dinner's ready everyone!" came Yumi's voice from the kitchen as the delicious aroma of home cooked food wafted from the kitchen into the dining area, causing everyone to salivate in hunger, but no one more so than Naruto. Yumi came towards the dining area, carrying a large pot of rice, the smell nearly making Naruto's Betcher's Glands accidentally secrete their acidic spit in his mouth as he almost drooled in joy.

"Naruto? Why are you like that?" Yumi asked in confusion as she looked at the absolutely rapacious look on Naruto's face, almost as if he smelled a piece of heaven itself.

"Oh!" Naruto choked in surprise before he used a part of his already tattered shirt and wiped away the drool on his face, the part sizzled a little as a drop of the potent acid from his Betcher's Glands made its way to the shirt. "It's nothing," he replied. "It's just that no one ever gave me some cooked food, ever."

"Ever?!" Yumi said in surprise.

"Uh… yeah," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "I usually hunted small animals in the forest as my food and ate them raw."

"Y-you ate animals raw?!" Yumi choked out in shock. "H-how?!"

"That's… that's just how I am, miss," Naruto answered back truthfully.

Shocked beyond words, Yumi could only nod as she went back to the kitchen to take everything that she cooked and placed them on the dining table. She then placed a large bowl of rice in front of Naruto and placed everyone's respective bowls in front of them before placing a pair of chopsticks on every bowl.

Naruto looked at the flimsy pieces of wood that he was given in his hands. He quickly glanced at the other occupants of the table and observed the way they held the wooden sticks before he immediately tried to copy them. Unfortunately, with just a gentle squeeze, the stick shattered, causing a shocked look on everyone's faces.

"Eheh, sorry," he said sheepishly. "Never used these before."

Yumi was completely speechless at Naruto's honest words. She was about to ask him how he ate before when she remembered what he told them about his previous eating habits. Pushing her chair back, she stood before walking to Naruto's back and held Naruto's tiny hands within her own gentle hands, one that Naruto can feel the roughness, calloused from countless hours of housework. "These are chopsticks, Naruto. This is how you use them."

Naruto gaped as he felt her hands on his own as they guided him on how to hold the two pieces of sticks, how to use them to eat, and how to care for them together with the general behaviour of using it. All that time, Naruto couldn't help but feel her warmth as it seeped through his thin Mucranoid coating.

Not only physically, but the warmth only a mother could emit to their son.

After a while of Yumi teaching him how to use the chopsticks, Naruto finally felt confident enough to use them on his own bowl of rice. Picking up the large bowl of rice that was larger than his tiny hands, he took a piece of the fried fish on the table that was the side dish and poured some of the miso soup on his rice before, with a trembling hand, he picked the rice with the chopsticks before placing it into his mouth.

The taste of the simple dish exploded in Naruto's mouth like a supernova. The way the miso soup's slightly tangy flavour melded with the fish's fresh taste, together with the flavour-enhancing oil within it as the rice seeming to combine all the flavour into one, single union of culinary delight. So much so, that Naruto's hand immediately froze as his jaw continued chewing.

Yumi saw Naruto's frozen face that quickly prompted her to ask. "What is it, Naruto? Is there something wrong?"

Naruto did not answer. Instead, he robotically scooped more of the food waiting in front of him into his mouth, not a word coming from him as he slowly chewed, savouring the absolutely delicious food with his enhanced senses. His facial expression looked as if it was carved from a block of rock as he ate and ate, his pace steady and his quantity many.

As he finished his dinner, he placed the chopsticks on the completely empty bowl, devoid of even a single stray grain of rice before he downed the bowl of miso, sipping it with slowness almost devout. Placing the now empty bowl on the rice bowl, his head slowly turned to face Yumi, his mouth gaping.

"That… that was delicious," Naruto said to Yumi, his face nearly shining from the happiness in his words. "That… I have no words for it. That's just divine, Yumi-san. Is that how all cooked meals taste like?"

"Oh, Naruto, you flatterer!" Yumi said with a blush. "That's just a regular dinner! Sorry I cannot make it any better. The town's quite tight with supplies right now."

"A… regular dinner?" Naruto said, placing a finger on his lips, the flavours from the dishes just still lingering within his mouth. "Is this… is this what regular people eat?" he said slowly, though his words were still heard by Yumi and Shiro within the silence of the night.

"What do you mean by that?" Yumi questioned. Surely he was not speaking the truth when he said that he never had cooked food before, was he?

"I…" Naruto's mind immediately went back to the time when he was at the orphanage, a time that felt like it was so long ago. He remembered the aromatic scent of dinner as the matron cooked for the kids. He remembered the matron's terrible way of feeding him, not to mention the terrible 'food' he was fed with during his time at the orphanage. He remembered the first food that he actually had for himself: a live rat that he bit its head off raw, remembering the hot blood dropping down his chin as he ate it.

Nothing that was in his memories could even compare to the small piece of heaven that he was being given today, such was its taste to Naruto. Everything about it from texture, taste, feel and looks, all of them were so far away from what Naruto ate before that in his mind, nothing, absolutely nothing could be better than what she just made. His mind promptly shut down as he reached this conclusion, unable to take in any more surprises today.

"Oh yeah," said Shiro as he stood up from the table, his dinner finished as well. "Naruto, I have something for you," he said, ignoring Naruto's utterly shocked look. He headed into his room and took out a small bundle before standing beside Naruto. "This is for you."

Snapping out of his surprise, Naruto took the bundle with trembling hands and opened it. The bundle was actually a small shirt, made according to his size, black in colour. Another package dropped from the cloth bundle, causing Naruto to pick it up. Opening it, he saw that it was actually a pair of denim trousers made to fit his tiny legs, also black in colour.

"My wife saw that you had nothing but those rags on you, so she decided to give you one pair of clothing, and even modified it for some extra stuff!" Shiro said in pride. "My wife here is the town's tailor, you know. She's so good at it that with just one look, she could determine a person's size and could stitch up something for him!"

"It was easy," Yumi said next with a smile of pride on her face. "Fortunately, I have some leftover denim and fabric for a pair of trousers and a shirt for you."

Naruto was absolutely speechless. In just one day, the entire family trusted him so much that they would be willing to give him a pair of clothing, hand sewn by Yumi herself, even when he already had food, shelter and a job from them? Naruto's voice was cracking up at this point. "Why?" he whispered.

"Hmm?" Shiro responded, a sure sign that he heard Naruto's whisper.

"Why did you do this for me? Why are you so kind? We just met!" Naruto said out loud, tears of gratitude brimming in his eyes.

"Well," Shiro said, scratching his chin. "When you've lived to be as old as I am, you will become a good judge of character. And through the three days that we're together, it's enough to make me say that you're a good person. Combined with your answers during my short QA session just now proved that even more. I don't mind the part that you didn't answer. Everybody's entitled to their own secrets."

"And that is why we had you stay with us," Yumi said with a smile. "We decided that you are a good person, and you could just stay here."

Naruto slowly stood, the shirt and trousers in his hands as his entire body trembled. Without warning, he shot towards where Shiro was before enveloping him in a hug as best as his body could.

"Wha- get off me!" Shiro said out as Naruto's small hands tried circling him as he tried in vain to struggle from Naruto's immense strength. A wet feeling on his shoulder stopped his actions and caused him to look towards the source. Naruto's face was buried in his shoulder as his small body shook from the sobs that he made as tears of his gratitude poured onto Shiro's shirt. Immediately he relented, stopping his struggle before he reached with his hand to Naruto's back, patting him to calm him down. "Hey, enough of the waterworks," he said jokingly, albeit with a tender voice. "It doesn't fit someone as strong as you to cry like a baby."

"But…" he sobbed. "But no one has ever been this kind to me!" Naruto sniffed out, his voice distorted from the crying. "How can I repay you, old man Shiro?" he asked, his voice still cracked and coarse from his crying. "I… I have nothing. No money, no one, nothing. How can I repay you?"

"For starters, you could begin by letting me go. All this mushy stuff isn't for me, you know," he said. "Then, do your best to work under me. Learn everything you can from me. Be my apprentice. How's that?"

"Yes!" Naruto said, once again leaking tears of happiness from his eyes. "Yes, I will! You can count on me for everything, old man!"

"And stop calling me old man!" he yelled out.

Meanwhile, the twins were standing beside their mother who was watching the scene, holding on to their mother's long legs. Koutarou then asked her mother as he watched Naruto and his father interact. "Mom, why did Naruto cry?" he then felt small drops of water on his hand. Looking upwards, he saw that his mother was crying as well for some reason. "Mom, why are you crying?" he asked innocently.

Yumi just realised that she was crying as her son asked her that question and quickly wiped her tears. "It's nothing," she said as she watched the tender scene between her husband and Naruto. "It's just that… Naruto's so happy."

"Happy?" he said, perplexed. "But he's crying."

She smiled as she bent down before she hugged the twins together. "You'll know when you grow older. But whatever it is, I will not let you go through whatever he did," Yumi said, a hardness unlike anything in her voice as she said to her children. Naruto definitely was unlike anyone else that she had ever met. He really meant what he said with every word, being someone who was honest to a fault. Whatever he went through, she'd fight tooth and nail to ensure that her children wouldn't go through the same ordeal.

"Mom?" Kagami said slowly, wondering why her mother hugged her like that.

"Nothing. Just… let me hug you two a bit longer," she said to her two children causing them to return her hug in their smaller hands, the warmth of their small hands nourishing her very soul with love and care.

-BREAK-

That night, as both Yumi and Shiro were about to sleep, Yumi asked her husband. "So, you decided to take him as an apprentice?"

Shiro remained silent before he said to his wife, "I do. He's… he's different. I'm sure that whatever he learns from me, he won't use them for evil."

Changing into her sleeping robes, Yumi said, "But you said that it's cursed."

"It is," Shiro replied. "But I'm sure that no matter what, he'll be able to endure it. He lived until now with nothing, I'm sure that he'll be able to master everything."

"It's your choice, my love," Yumi said. "But I believe in your judgement, and what I saw myself."

"He is a good person, and the best candidate ever to inherit my arts." Hardness entered his voice as he added, "He won't fail, I'm sure."

"I'm sure he won't my love," she said before giving him a goodnight kiss. "Goodnight my love. We have a long day tomorrow."

"We sure do," he said before returning the kiss.

-BREAK-

The next day, Shiro observed Naruto sitting in the middle of the house, cross-legged. Giving a light nudge, he said, "Wake up. We have lots to do today."

Opening his eyes, Naruto wordlessly stood, his rags still on his body with the clothing that he received last night beside him. "Yes," he said simply as he stood, ready to begin the first day of being Shiro's apprentice.

Through the entire day, Shiro taught him the tools of his trade: the furnace, the hammer, the anvil, the smelter, everything that he used in his line of work. He also showed Naruto how to smith, though he began with nothing but a demonstration without an actual item. He watched as Naruto questioned him on the usage of each items, their materials, how were they used among other questions. Questions and attitude that further confirmed to Shiro that he made the right choice in having Naruto as his apprentice.

That evening, Naruto played around with the twins after watching how Kagami avoided him somehow. He took them for a walk, easily lifting them on his shoulder despite his small stature, an action that terrified both of them at first before it changed into something fun as Naruto ran around, letting them feel the air on their face. Shiro just watched as Naruto played with his children with a smile on his face.

Days changed to a week as Naruto lived with the family, learning the theories of the craft without practicing. Along the way, he helped with the hard physical work, lifting raw metals and firewood for the furnace by himself, saving quite some time for Shiro as he did so. Through the week, Naruto also met with some of the people of the town who were confused at first at Naruto's appearance, but learned to accept it once Shiro confirmed to them that he's his new worker despite his young age. The townspeople never stopped joking about him taking someone that young as an apprentice, even after he explained it to them.

Through the entire week as well, Naruto stayed together with the family, playing with the kids when he had the time for it when he's not helping Shiro at the forge. Living with the family, he learned to appreciate a constant availability of delicious food, something that he kept praising Yumi for. Through the week as well, the two kids finally trusted him completely as he played around with them, letting him feel some of the joys of childhood that he never had.

He never let up on his training though. He managed to master the Basic 3 completely, being able to use them without handsigns with minimal chakra expenditure in part thanks to his Linker Core. His elemental training also bore fruit as he managed to complete basic elemental nature training with all the elements thanks to his phenomenal endurance and his stubbornness. But before moving on to the next stage, he decided to master all the elements at his current level first, making it easier for him later on.

Weeks turned to a month, and he kept on with his current life of learning, playing and training as he lived with Shiro's family. In fact, he was inseparable from them with the kids clinging on to him at all times due to his strength and cheerful disposition, causing Shiro to cry mock tears at the thought of his children abandoning him.

Shiro observed just how quick Naruto learned the small stuff, and finally he decided to let Naruto forge something of his own, a simple piece of flat iron just to teach him how to actually forge something. Though it took some directions and teachings, Naruto succeeded with the task as his first creation. However, Shiro said that it will be used for something else by him later on, causing Naruto to cry fake tears at this, earning him a smack to his back.

Months turned to half a year, and Naruto was practically a part of the family now. He laughed together with them, he ate together, he played together, and his presence was considered a boon to Shiro, whose business exploded suddenly, forcing Naruto to learn to forge better items quickly. Thanks to his fast learning trait, he managed to take up the jobs that Shiro thought were easy in just a short while, allowing him to focus on the bigger, more profitable tasks. This gave the family more income, allowing them to have a better meal every day, something that made Naruto cry in happiness once again, causing the entire family to get together in a group hug to calm him down.

During this time, Naruto also became Shiro's guard as they travelled around, getting supplies from everywhere around them. Naruto's combat skills proved their worth during this time as he beat the attackers that tried to take advantage of them easily no matter when or where. During this time also, Naruto kept a lookout every time he travelled, avoiding the gaze of any potential ninja that would reveal his presence to Konoha. He was still not ready to return yet.

A year had passed as Naruto stayed with them and he was already skilled enough at forging that he sometimes took over the shop entirely from Shiro as he went out. Even the people of the small town liked meeting him. His friendliness and cheerful disposition allowed him to quickly make friends with the people despite his strangeness. And one day, Yumi announced that she was pregnant again, something that caused Naruto to tilt his head questioningly as Shiro fainted in happiness. Yumi actually said that the baby was due to Naruto's presence attracting more fortune than they ever had before. Much to his honour, he was asked to become the brother of the child, something that he gladly accepted.

During the nine months of Yumi's pregnancy, Naruto learned a lot more about women that he should. He learned how women tend to have sudden mood swings and weird cravings, how they became sick sometimes, how their actions differ, Naruto took everything in stride as new experiences for him, knowing that someday he'd have his own wife and will have to endure the same thing.

The baby, or babies, for they were twins once again was being watched by Naruto and Koutarou and Kagami as Shiro comforted his wife once the children were safely born. Shiro named the two Tsukasa and Tsubasa, their white hair and brown eyes almost similar to each other, a sure sign of an identical twin pair. The two were placed in the same crib, and from then on, would be inseparable until their death. Naruto swore on his name and his body that he would do everything he could to protect them, no matter what it took.

And so Naruto lived with the family, his entire life revolving around his adopted family, so much so that he stopped calling Shiro old man, but instead called him dad, something that made Shiro blush, though he didn't hate it. And with Yumi as his adopted mother, he lived a simple, happy life, still training as a ninja with his skills, and was waiting for the right time to tell his adopted family of his whole history: his life, his origin, what he was, and the being that he carried, his mind constantly churning to figure out how to tell them about himself, finally sure that there should be no secrets between them.

However, his happiness did not last, for in the third year, tragedy struck. A tragedy that would once again change Naruto's life, ending his innocence once and for all.

-CHAPTER ENDS-

Read and review, will you?


	15. AN: CHAPTER CHANGES

OLD READERS, HEED MY WORDS!

**STOP**

Before you go ahead and read the new chapters, please go back, and read the old chapters. They have been rewritten multiple times, so there will be lots of changes that will of course, be brought forward to the newer chapters as well.

So for both my sake and yours, please turn back, and reread the chapters. You shall not regret it.

Or maybe you will.

Not sure.

For new readers, please continue and read the next couple chapters. It's been a long while since my update, but I hope you would wait for me still.

And thank you for everyone. Readers, reviewers, commenters, beta readers, all of you helped in making this story the awesomesauce (or shitfest) that it is.

Keep it up.

And so, please turn back for old readers, and keep on reading for new readers.

Don't forget to review!

I won't go as far as to say that reviews are my lifeline or whatever, but reviews will make me happy (or sad, depending). So please review.

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015


	16. Chapter 14: Tragedy

HAH! So here's the part you are all (hopefully) waiting for! A true blue, honest to god, NEW CHAPTER! Rejoice, for it has arrived! Nothing to say here as well, just give it a read.

Thanks to kylekatarn77, Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, and all the rest of you guys for reading this chapter!

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: Naruto met Yumi, Shiro's wife and his two children. Yumi was suspicious, but in the end relented with her husband's choice. And that night, Naruto for the first time had proper cooked food in his life, so much so that he cried in joy. Afterwards, he worked with Shiro for three years, and during this time, he was accepted as their family member, where he learned so much. Yet through those three years, he never told them about what he was.

CHAPTER 14: TRAGEDY

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

Naruto was standing on top of the water of the lake that he found all those years ago, his figure invisible behind the slight cloak of chakra that he was covered with. The cloak came from his godfather's jutsu, the Chameleon Jutsu, a technique that blends his colours to his surrounding, just like the jutsu's namesake. The technique was taught to him by Kurumi who was taught of it by Minato, something that he did due to Kushina's urging.

Afterwards, he taught her nearly everything that he knew, just like Mito did before.

Sweeping with his eyes, he saw the figures of hundreds of clones on the water, all of them covered by the same cloak of chakra. Kurumi explained that just like with the Uchihas and the Hyuugas, the jutsu cannot hide him from those who could see chakra, allowing them to see the thin layer of it around him. This is actually a way to prevent people from seeing him training. The constant splashes that every session caused was silenced by a massive array of silencing and chakra suppression seal around the lake's perimeter, allowing him to train without worry.

Naruto closed his eye. The game was on.

A solid whoosh came from his front as a clone rushed at him. A quick dodge avoided the high kick the clone threw his way, and a slap parried a fist from another. Rolling his body with the slap, he grabbed the fist of another, guiding it towards the third clone, the impact causing him to disperse into chakra smoke. His leg rose and met another leg, a clone's kick being parried at the shin. Twisting his leg, he dragged the clone's leg down before punching it in the face, dispersing it.

A choke hold nearly caught him from behind but a quick twist slipped him right past the offending arm. Grabbing it with his own, he pulled on it, sending the clone flying over his shoulder. The small splashes of water around him were the only warning as five clones came at once, kunais out and ready. Twirling on the water's surface, Naruto's senses allowed him to dance around the attacks before sending an elbow to one's face, dispersing it and allowing him to escape the cordon his clones made. Just as he escaped, a powerful punch nearly hit him, which he countered with his own, the water erupting upwards from the shockwave the two punches made.

A Rasengan appeared in his left hand in an instant before the hand shot forwards, the grinding power of the jutsu immediately dispersing the clone as it hits his face. Naruto grimaced. "I sure don't want to be hit by a Rasengan in the face. That was painful!"

"**It sure is."**

A backflip avoided a clone's roundhouse kick, sending him straight to the path of another two clones, Rasengans prepared to hit him. He spun on one leg, his other rising high to kick the clones' arms away before he dashed ahead, two knifehands to two necks dispersing another two clones.

This continued as Naruto whittled his clones one by one until they all dispersed into nothingness. Only then did he open his eyes. As method of pushing himself, Naruto began practicing closing his eyes and using the other senses that he had: smell, touch, hearing, everything was pushed to its maximum as he attacked and dodged with no sight of his targets.

Three years he stayed with Shiro's family. In those three years he learned more than he ever expected to. His skills were phenomenal in nearly every aspect. And as he grew older, his height shot upwards, reaching 5'3" in just three years. Yet they still respected his privacy, not even questioning the reason why he grew so quickly, something that will change soon.

Looking to the sky, he watched as the setting sun bathed the surface of the lake in an orange colour. Taking in the beautiful sight Naruto took a deep breath before heaving it all out in a loud sigh. 'I guess I'm going to tell them everything today,' he said to Kurumi.

"**Everything?"**

'Everything. About me, about you, about the bloodline, where we're from, everything.' Another sigh. 'They deserved that at least.'

"**Yeah…"**Kurumi said in a sad tone. **"He's like your father already."**

'And Yumi is my mother. She scolded me, taught me, helped me, almost as if she considered me her son already. It's… surprising.' Naruto slowly walked to the edge of the lake, his mind whirling to sort out the words to be used when he told them his story. 'Kushina and Minato may be my blood parents, but they're not here, so they cannot take the title 'parents' for real.'

"**I understand,"** Kurumi said, unable to disagree with Naruto's logic. She was still a bit disappointed though, but she understood.

Naruto reached the edge of the lake, his steps as silent as death itself as he recalled everything in the three years that he stayed with Shiro's family. They never told him about their family name though, and it doesn't matter to Naruto. He still considered them his parents, and nothing could change that. Looking at the sealing arrays that were etched on the trees around the lake, he smiled seeing just how good he was at sealing right now. Even by Kurumi's standards, he's a good sealmaster now, if he could say so himself.

Turning around, he started leaping through the trees around the lake, intent on getting back home quickly.

Home.

A word that, until three years ago, never existed in Naruto's dictionary.

Together with Shiro's family, he was home. The wooden house, the tough furniture, the smell of dinner, and the noise of four kids; it's not an experience that he expected to be able to come back to every day when he finished his training or he closed the shop. But he remembered that although he considered them his parents, he still hid something from them. Something important. Something that could make a difference between them today and tomorrow. Naruto's footsteps slowed at this thought, his pace no longer as fast as he was before.

Sensing this, Kurumi asked. **"Naruto, what's wrong?"**

'I…' Naruto began, his worries apparent from his scared tone. 'I'm scared.'

"**Scared?"**

'I'm scared that… that Shiro won't accept me,' Naruto said, voicing his worries. 'He may act like the people of Konoha and call me a demon when he knows about you. Yumi… she might hate me. The twins… they'll avoid me. They'll hate me, just as their parents hated me.'

"**Naruto…"** Kurumi said in a soothing tone. **"They're all good people. They accepted you into their life so far, they will not back down and leave you in the dust just like that."**

'I… how am I supposed to know?!' Naruto said, a little bit of anger seeping into his words. 'They've never known of something as inhuman as I am!'

"**Naruto, you're a human. In fact, I'd have to say you're more human than others I've met."**

'That's what you said!' Naruto shot angrily, his fear turning around to anger at her words. 'I never knew anyone else! I don't… I don't know anymore!'he yelled internally, tears nearly flowing from his eyes.

Though he thought his tears had already dried up since he was a baby, this new life shows just how human he was.

"**Naruto, calm down,"** Kurumi said slowly. **"They're all good people. They will not just abandon you. They took you in before and they will not just throw you away directly!"**

'I… I'm afraid!' Naruto screamed out in fear to Kurumi. 'I'm afraid that they'll hate me! I'm afraid that they'll reject me! They… they might stop considering me their son then!'

"**Naruto, you having all these thoughts just shows how much they loved you. They loved you so much, you cannot help but reciprocate that love. And now, you're afraid to tell them your deepest secret, just because you're afraid that they might hate you for it, right?"**

'Yeah.'

"**If they do, then they're not worthy of your love in the first place,"** Kurumi reasoned. **"Someone who loves you won't just push you away when they found your darkest secret. Someone who loved you will accept everything about you, both your bright side and your dark side. No one is perfect, Naruto."**

'I know, but…'

"**How about this, Naruto?"** Kurumi said, trying to reason with Naruto's conflicting mind. **"Tell them everything. Don't leave anything out. Then, when you're done, watch their reactions. If they looked at you in hate, just leave, and never look back. They are not worthy of you. If they accept you, then stay with them, forever till the end of time. They've more than proven themselves to you, and it's much better than going back to Konoha."**

Naruto remained silent at her suggestions. It's basically what he already thought it was: an all-out gamble. Reveal everything, show the whole thing, hide nothing and look at their response. Finally, Naruto just nodded, agreeing with this gamble. With a heavy heart and steps heavier than that, he walked to the house, taking the slow path instead of the faster tree hopping method. 'Kurumi-chan?'

"**Yes?"**

'If… If by any chance they hated me,' Naruto said, hesitating a bit at his words. 'Will… will you stay with me? By my side?'

Kurumi just smiled, knowing about Naruto's fragile heart. He may have a body of steel, but his immature heart is still as weak as thin glass. Without hesitation, she replied in a soothing voice. **"I will, Naruto. I will."**

'Until the end of time?'

"**If I would still be sealed with you when time ends, then yes, until the end of time."**

Naruto smiled softly knowing that he had his reassurance. Kurumi was like his partner, his teacher, and his friend all rolled into one. She accompanied him at all times no matter how bad. When he was sad, she soothed him. When he was worried, she calmed him. When he was happy, she was happy together with him. 'Stay with me forever, Kurumi-chan.'

"**I will Naruto. I will."**

-BREAK-

Naruto walked through the forest, taking his time to reach his home. Though Kurumi assuaged his worries, he still cannot help but feel apprehensive at the thought of opening the all-new can of worms on Shiro's family. It's not something that he preferred, but in the end, he understood that it must be done as a necessary evil. Toughening his heart, he walked quickly, planning to get the issue done by dinnertime.

_A_s he came closer to the house he began to feel something strange. A weird feeling was in the air, a feeling that made his hair rise and left his senses tingling for some reason. Perking his Lyman's Ears, he realised something else: there were no sounds of any animals. No birds, no animals, not even a breeze of wind could be heard from his surroundings. 'This is not good,' he thought to Kurumi. 'Something's wrong. It's quiet. Too quiet.'

"**Agreed,**" Kurumi said, realising the same thing through Naruto's senses. **"Better check it out carefully. We may not know what happened, so it's better to be careful."**

'Right,' Naruto replied before once again engaging his Chameleon Jutsu, the air around him shimmering as he hid from sight and paced slowly, using every ounce of his not-inconsiderable stealth to head to his house. As he approached the house he found that the air was charged, almost electric. A strange energy was hovering within it like a lightning storm waiting to fall as he waded through the thick air.

As he crept closer, his Neuroglottis took note of a certain scent, a scent that he never expected to appear at the house:

The scent of fresh blood.

Alarmed, Naruto broke stealth and quickly dashed towards the house, smashing through the back door as if it wasn't even there, barrelling through the kitchen in his hurry. "Dad!" he yelled out, trying to find his stepfather within the strangely empty house, the stench of fresh blood overpowering everything else if not for his Neuroglottis separating the smell.

"Dad!" he yelled out again, heading towards the front area of the house. "Da-" his yell was stopped by what he was seeing. The living room looked like a battlefield with the tough furniture in pieces and the floor devastated by powerful attacks, massive holes rent deep into foundation.

Still shocked beyond words, Naruto took note of the bodies of what could probably amount to two men, their looks unidentifiable from the fact that their body was in pieces on the floor, their blood covering every inch of the damaged floor like a red sea of death, sometimes pooling within the strange holes on the floor.

And amongst the carnage stood Shiro as he huffed and puffed, his entire body shaking from whatever happened to him. In his hands was a katana, its edge buried within the floor as Shiro supported himself on the hilt, his entire body filled with cuts and wounds.

Without warning, the blade shattered into a million pieces, causing Shiro to fall to the ground in his exhaustion. "Dad!" Naruto yelled as he moved, appearing in a blink of an eye beside Shiro. Supporting his fallen father with his hands, Naruto flings the remains of the shattered sword away from his father figure as he checks his injured body.

"Dad! What happened?!" Naruto screamed before he realised that his father figure was burning hot! "Dad! What happened to you?! Where's mom?!" Naruto yelled again as he laid him down on the floor, his hands already glowing green from the Mystical Palm jutsu that he activated to check on his vitals, his first use of the jutsu on real humans, taught to him by Kurumi.

The report from the jutsu was extremely surprising as it displayed everything in his mind's eye. His entire skeletal system was weakened massively with multiple damaged muscles on his body. No lethal injuries but his entire body almost looked like he just went through an extremely rough beating from the muscle tears and the weakened bones. "Hang on!" Naruto yelled as the green glow on his hand became darker, a sign of the Mystical Palm jutsu being activated.

He ran his glowing hand over his father's torso, making sure that his chest and heart muscles would be the ones healed first, allowing him to speak and live to see another day. Feeling the medical chakra enhancing his father's natural healing ability to unnatural speeds he knew that the muscles would knit themselves back in minutes.

"Urgh…" Shiro groaned as he returned to the land of the living once again. "As I thought, a regular sword cannot take the power of the Mumyou Jinpu Ryuu Satsujin Ken. Heh." He scoffed. "Gahk! He coughed, sending a glob of blood from his mouth flying and hitting Naruto in the face. Naruto flinched back from the blood hitting his face but he kept his focus on his healing, not allowing the distraction to interfere. "And I'm not as strong to use it anymore…" he slowly said, feeling the soothing power of the healing jutsu on his chest.

"Dad! What happened?! Who were those guys on the floor?! Where's mom and the twins?!" Naruto yelled out, shooting a barrage of questions towards the still healing Shiro.

"Pipe down, will you?" Shiro said with a groan, his injured body unable to take Naruto's loud yell well. "They're ronin. Yumi was kidnapped by them. Some of them were missing nin too, but I only managed to cut down two ronin. Dammit."

Naruto had a sudden anger in his chest as he heard his words. In a fit of rage, he screamed. "How could you be so calm?! Our family was kidnapped!"

"And what can I do right now?" he shot back with a glare. "My body's in shit condition, I have no weapon, and I don't know where they went. So tell me, what should I do?"

Naruto was speechless. Here he was, healing him, yet he was asking why he could be so calm. He was calm because he was unable to do a damn thing! He fought against the kidnappers and barely stood afterwards. What can he do at the time? "Sorry dad."

"Don't worry," he grunted in pain. "We'll get them back. We will."

"No," Naruto said suddenly. "_I_ will dad," Naruto said. "You stay here."

"What?" before Shiro could elaborate his question further, a puff of smoke erupted in front of him, before it cleared revealing the figure of another Naruto. One quickly took over the Naruto healing Shiro, continuing the original's attempt as the original went out. "We'll bring them back. I promise," Naruto said before disappearing through the front curtain.

"What is that? What are you actually? All that isn't just from your bloodline wasn't it?" Shiro asked, surprised at his son's weird skills.

"I am sorry, dad. But we decided that today would be a good time to tell you about who we really are. We are…"

And so, the Naruto clone explained everything about himself, not leaving a single detail out.

-CHAPTER ENDS-


	17. Chapter 15: Cursed To Kill

Another chapter?! THIS IS MADNESS!

Special thanks to kylekatarn77, Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, and all the rest of you guys who helped me with the chapters.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: Naruto finally found the courage in him to expose the full truth about himself to Shiro's family. But just as he managed to gather himself together and came back from his training, he found the family kidnapped, with only an injured Shiro remaining at home. Creating a clone, he left the house, searching for the rest of the family as the clone healed Shiro and told him everything about himself.

CHAPTER 15: CURSED TO KILL

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

Naruto went outside the house and quickly sniffed the air, trying to isolate the familiar smell of his mother and the kids. 'Found you!' he said inwardly, catching their scent before quickly dashing away, catching up to the fleeing ninjas. 'Why would they want to kidnap her anyway? Who is dad actually?'

"**Focus, Naruto,"** Kurumi said. **"You can ask him later. For now, we must concentrate on finding her."**

'Right!' Naruto agreed before quickly setting off with his speed to chase down the ronin that kidnapped Yumi. From the way the blood on the house's wrecked floor looked, they haven't gone far. In fact, they were just about an hour away, which was quite an easily achievable distance to Naruto to catch up to. Shiro must have taken some time to kill those ronin off if they managed to run this far in this short a time.

Quickly he ran, his form a blur as he sped towards where the scent was strongest. Chakra flowed through his body as he attempted to move faster, pushing himself to his limit. Along the way he took note of the footprints, or the lack of it, showing that whoever attacked Shiro must've been very skilled. He did say that they're missing nin who had no restrictions on using their skills, making them much more dangerous.

After a few minutes of high-speed running, Naruto felt that he was getting closer to where Yumi and the twins were. As he did he could feel the temperature starting to drop and the air getting heavy with moisture, a sure sign that rain was about to fall. 'I better find them fast. It won't be good if it showers. I might lose their scent.'

The overcast sky hung above his head as Naruto finally found the group holding his foster family hostage. The group of four was running away from Shiro's house, one carrying Yumi on his shoulder, another carrying Koutarou and Kagami on his shoulders while another carried the two younger twins, their mouths all stuffed with cloth to prevent them from making any noise.

Naruto's ears picked up parts of their conversation as he silently leapt above them, trying to understand their motives. "-Two of us! What the hell did he use?" the man holding the twins said.

"That must've been one of the Mibu clan's sword style!" the man carrying Yumi yelled out.

'Mibu clan?' Naruto said, keeping note about the name.

"Heh. But we have his wife and children. He'd better give us those swords if he wanted them to survive... though we won't let them live anyway! Hahaha!" the lead men yelled out.

In Naruto's anger at the man's words, he missed the words 'swords'. Naruto leapt faster in his rage, before landing on the ground in front of the men in a kneeling position, his form trembling.

"You..." Naruto slowly hissed, his entire being shaking as his bright blue eyes glared towards the group of missing nin. "Let them go!"

The ninja, shocked from his sudden appearance quickly jumped backwards, readying a defensive stance against Naruto. "Where the fuck did he come from?"

"Who the fuck are you?!" the ninja holding Yumi screamed out.

"I'm her son and you better let go of them!" Naruto countered back.

"Make us!" the lead ninja yelled before he ran through handsigns. "Raiton: Electromagnetic Murder!" He yelled before his hand crackled with lightning. With a gesture, a massive wave of electricity shot ahead towards Naruto's position.

The ninja carrying Koutarou and Kagami roughly tossed them away, causing them to cry in pain as they hit the ground with a loud thud, his hands quickly running through handsigns and yelled out, "Suiton: Wild Water Wave!" shooting a powerful stream of water from his mouth towards the wave of electricity. The two techniques combined, creating a powerful wave of electrified water that sped towards Naruto's location.

Clapping his hands together, Naruto took a deep breath, wind chakra moulding in his lungs before he blew it out, creating a sealless Futon: Great Breakthrough, a powerful wall of wind that shot towards the combination jutsu like a hurricane. The three jutsu met each other, the lightning immediately cancelled out by the wind as the water spout broke apart on impact, the power of Naruto's wind jutsu overpowering the water's force.

A rush of wind from his back made him leapt sideways, barely avoiding the ball of flame that another of the missing nin shot from his mouth, embers still lingering on his pinched fingers in front of his lips. The ball of flame exploded where Naruto was, the flames burning around its impact area.

Quickly Naruto turned to face the fire breathing man only to see him run through another set of handsigns ending with Tiger. Seeing the build-up of chakra and heat within the man's mouth, Naruto quickly clapped his hands together and drew another breath.

"Katon: Fire Stream!" the missing nin cried as a massive stream of fire shot from his mouth. Naruto blew out his jutsu, sending a stream of water from his mouth to the ground before the ground erupted, a massive wall of water appeared and blocked the Katon: Fire Stream, the water hissing loudly as it cooled the Katon jutsu.

"Suiton: Water Whip!" was the only thing that Naruto could hear as he felt two water whips coiling around him, the jutsu's powerful strength preventing him from moving as the man's comrades prepared their own jutsus to take him down.

"Katon: Grand Fireball!"

"Raiton: False Darkness!"

A massive ball of fire came hurtling in from his right while a spear of lightning came screeching in from his left. The ball of fire impacted together with the lightning spear, the combination erupting in a massive conflagration of fire and lightning. The combination jutsu exploded where Naruto was, creating a massive inferno as the air charged with static from the lightning jutsu.

"Did we get him?" the lightning user asked. As the flames cleared, only a small pile of ash was left, signifying an escape. "Shit! He Substituted!" yelled the lightning user again. A rush of wind from above made them leapt everywhere before the massive figure of Naruto fell in their midst. His sudden appearance scattered the nin, dispersing everywhere to avoid him.

Running through handseals the last ninja who was holding Yumi punched the ground, creating a massive wall of mud that sped towards where Naruto was. "Doton: Mudslide!"

Watching the wave of mud that was speeding towards him, Naruto clapped his hands before he spat a similarly large amount of mud on the ground. The mud rose and quickly hardened, creating a wall of earth, the use of a sealless Doton: Earth Wall quickly made a defensive barrier against the onslaught. The mudslide crashed on the earthen wall strengthened by Naruto's chakra, holding strong against the attack.

Naruto leapt away from the wall, remembering his training. With his multitudes of clones and his mastery over each element, he trained himself to be capable of performing most of his jutsu without handseals, not wanting to reveal his techniques to his enemy. It took hours and hundreds of clones for each jutsu, but he never failed to achieve anything less than complete mastery over all of his jutsu.

"Raiton: Lightning Ball!"

"Suiton: Water Trumpet!"

"Katon: Fire Stream!"

Three voices echoed and three jutsu shot forwards, the three blasts of elemental techniques heading straight towards him as they tried to take him down again. With a burst of speed he disappeared, causing the jutsu to hit nothing but the ground much to the trio's shock.

He appeared in front of the fire user, surprising the man before he punched his face, an attack which he avoided. A flurry of blows rocketed from Naruto which the man deftly dodged before he snuck underneath Naruto's arm and stabbed him with a kunai, a move quickly countered by Naruto's rising knee, forcing him to jump back and stop the attack as the knee strike turned into a snap kick.

Before he could continue his attack, a loud voice from his back forced him to cancel his assault and instead dodge the quick slicing sword that came his way. "Kumo Ryu: Front Beheading!" yelled the man as his sword sliced the air in front of him where Naruto was, only to hit nothing as Naruto slipped past the speeding blade.

Quickly leaping backwards, Naruto felt as the earth rumbled underneath his feet. The ground erupted beside his landing spot, creating two massive walls of earth that blocked him. "Doton: Double Earth Wall!" Before Naruto could react, the figures of two of the nin appeared at both ends of the narrow corridor, running through handsigns.

"Suiton: Tearing Torrent!"

"Raiton: Electromagnetic Murder!"

The torrential water wave and the lightning net sped towards where Naruto was standing, prompting Naruto to kneel down and kicked hard as he can on the ground, sending him airborne as the two jutsu met harmlessly where he was. Looking downwards, he was met with the sight of multitudes of figures, all of them looking like one of the ninjas that he attacked.

"Doton: Mud Clone!"

"Suiton: Water Clone!"

"Raiton: Lightning Clone!"

Naruto grew angry as he watched the sight of the missing nin' clones all gearing up to attack him, causing him to yell out. "So you want an army? I'll give you an army! Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto screamed as he clapped his hands together before the dark sky above the missing nin were covered by massive puffs of chakra smoke, revealing hundreds upon hundreds of Naruto clones on air as they fell to the ground, prepared to exact retribution on the enemy.

The two clone army met in a rough battle, the power of Naruto's Shadow Clone army against their elemental clones. With a loud roar the two sides began their attacks, sending kunai and shuriken flying causing the Naruto clones to poof out of existence. Nevertheless, some managed to fall on the ground and began their rampage towards the army of elemental clones.

Fist met face as clones punched their way through the army before they found themselves stuck in mud, the sure sign of a Mud Clone. The clones were ganged upon by the rest of the enemy clones, causing it to dispel. Another waded through a massive army of Water Clones, each swing of its mighty arms blew clones up like water balloons. Even more of Naruto's clones were dispelled as they hit a Lightning Clone, their shocking nature dispelling Naruto's clones on every hit.

"Stop! Or she'll die!" a missing nin yelled out, causing Naruto and his clones to stop in their tracks, his fist inches away from another clone's face. The enemy's clones parted, revealing the enemy nin holding the children and Yumi hostage with a sword on Yumi's neck and kunai on each of the kids' necks, the tape on their mouth removed as a form of psychological counter towards Naruto.

"Naruto! Just kill them! Leave me! Save the kids!" Yumi yelled out to him.

"Naruto-nii! Help us!" Koutarou and Kagami yelled at the same time, their fear apparent from their shaky voice and the tears from their eyes. The younger pair of twins cried incessantly as each had a kunai on their tiny necks from a Mud Clone.

"Mom! Koutarou! Kagami! I'll save you! Hang on!" Naruto yelled, though his mind was wildly figuring out a way to save all of them at the same time. His eyes darted to his surroundings, watching the missing nin and their reactions together with their clones. Much to his dismay, he found no way to help them right now. In his panic, his mind stopped working properly, preventing him from properly making any plans. Even Kurumi was panicking within him, making him even more restless.

"Hah!" the lightning user bellowed out. "Don't make promises you can't keep, you fool! Besides, do you even know who they are? They're better off dead!"

"What do you mean by that?! She's my mother! I'll be damned if I didn't save her!" Naruto retaliated, still trying to figure out how to save all of them at the same time.

"She-" the lightning user said as he pulled Yumi's hair, causing her to yelp in pain. "And her husband! They're both from the Mibu clan!"

"Mibu clan…?" Naruto mumbled questioningly before he shot back. "What does that matter?! I never even heard of that clan!"

"Then I'll tell you," he said with an evil grin. The sky darkened considerably, a sure sign that it will be a heavy rain, almost as if foreshadowing the turmoil within Naruto's heart. "The Mibu clan was mainly famous for two things: being great swordsmiths and powerful swordsmen. Their problem was the fact that the swords that they forged tend to be cursed! Their swords crave blood, so much so that they drove their owners insane! It was said that their swords were powerful, yet it sent evil whispers into their owners, wishing for blood and death that it drove their owners' insane! Their owners usually ended up going mad or dying in battle in search for even more blood!"

"Why, you may ask," the nin spoke with a flourish. "Why does their sword consume blood? The answer was because they, themselves were a clan of bloodthirsty monsters! The swords they made carried with it their hunger, their taste for human blood! Their use their amazing sword skills to kill, kill and kill without mercy!"

"Their swordsmanship, meanwhile, was beyond anything. So powerful that it slowly chipped on the user's body and destroyed them from within! The most powerful of sword styles, but there's no one in existence that could use it properly!" he yelled out, revealing the worst of their secrets to Naruto, causing him to stood stock still in disbelief.

"You lie!" Naruto yelled back. "They're not like that! They're kind people! Nothing like what you just said!" Yet Naruto's own knowledge of them fought within himself. They never told them their first name. Not just that, his skills at the forge was nothing short of magical, something he knew first hand. He never saw any sword within their house, but it wasn't a long stretch to take in.

"If you think that's horrible, there's more!" he yelled out, enjoying Naruto's disbelieving look on his face. "They also liked capturing prisoners to be used in their terrible 'experimentations' and as their special playthings! No one knew the result, but some that escaped spread rumours of human experimentation and brutal studies, usually killing the subjects!" The man laughed hard, an evil cackle that echoed within Naruto's mind.

"From the remains of their clan compounds, rumours arose of the terrible things they found!" the nin added again, revealing everything he knew about the Mibu clan to Naruto who cannot help but listen intently to his words. "Humans with eyes covering half their body! Battle crazed killers that disintegrated to dust as they aged! Humans that burned themselves as they lived their lives! Monsters that even mad scientists would be scared to reach! All were rumours, but rumours always have some truth to them!"

Naruto's mind clouded as he heard this. His adopted family was a family of murderers who forges bloodthirsty swords?! He cannot believe this! But that actually explains Shiro's damaged body, the dead people and his calmness. "No! You lie!" he screamed out.

"Believe what you want!" the man cackled, thunder flashing behind him as he laughed; a cruel, demented laugh coming from his chest.

"Why… why are you chasing him then?!" Naruto yelled back, holding back his tears, knowing that he cannot do anything with his family as their hostage. "They're a clan! There must be others out there!"

"Unfortunately, the Mibu clan was wiped out, mostly from their own mistakes! Their terrible experimentations backfired, killing themselves! Not just that, the buyers of their swords tend to come back and tried to kill them as their madness escalates, and their own techniques and knowledge became their downfall as it took the lives of more and more Mibu masters, making them disappear! Those who still owned their sword usually broke them to a million pieces or threw them away or melted them to be reforged!" the lightning user roared out.

"However, I knew that there must be some Mibu swords left somewhere. And after a long search, I found out that there was one last member of the Mibu clan still alive, and he's in a small town somewhere! After years of searching and me uniting with these guys, I managed to find him!" he said, pointing towards his fellow missing nin.

"Much to my shock, he no longer made any swords!" he roared out loudly, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky as he did so, illuminating his angry face. "He stopped forging any swords or even kept any of the swords from his time as a swordsmith! I don't believe that he destroyed everything though, so to… 'persuade' him, I kidnapped his wife and kids while having two of my ronin hold him down!"

"But those idiots…" he said, the sword in his hand trembled slowly in anger, the sharp edge nearly touching Yumi's white neck. "He managed to slip past them, stole a sword from the ronin and killed the two! But he fell to the ground afterwards, so I took the time to run, telling him to make us a sword or have his wife come back as a corpse!"

"You…" Naruto growled slowly, his teeth gritted hard in anger. "You said that his sword would make you insane!" Naruto thundered as another bolt of lightning struck the ground in a loud crash, the boom echoing through the ears of everyone around. "You said that the sword a Mibu made would turn you mad! Why do you want something like that?!"

"Why…?" the man said with an evil grin. "Because I want power!" his voice boomed across the devastated area, the winds growing stronger as his voice reverberated in the air. "With power, I can do anything! I can establish my own village, or destroy another! There were rumours that the sword could be subjugated by those who had more willpower than it! Then I will surely be the winner!"

"I know for sure that the swords are more powerful than anything available!" came his yell, a crazed glow in his eyes, a glow that stunned Naruto with its madness. Never had he saw something as terrible as he saw right now; insanity backed with strength, a concept so insane from him. "If not, why would people went so far to destroy them?! I will find it, and take it for my own! That power... it's mine, and no one else!"

"You're crazy!" Naruto yelled out, not believing in this madman's lust for power. His eyes still darted everywhere, taking in the sight of his adopted siblings' crying and struggling figure, Yumi's abject terror at the blade on her neck and the terrified bawling figure of Tsukasa and Tsubasa as they were held by the same person, a kunai underneath their necks.

He promised he would protect them no matter what. He had to find a way to save them. He had to!

"I am!" the man roared maniacally to the sky. "I was about to tell him that I also had the entire town as hostage, but he killed my ronin before I could! So I ran away with his family and told him to hand over his swords!"

Naruto's blood ran cold at his words. "What…?" he took the entire town as hostage? How did he do that? Why did he? How could he do that? Naruto's mind spun at speeds unlike anything as he figured out how to save everyone that he knew from the grip of this mad bastard. The faces of the town's occupants came to mind as he did so. The faces of the old farmers that he met once in a while, the youngsters of the village who chatted with him sometimes, the housewives that came to him to have their knives sharpened, all of them blurred in his mind as he tried to think about how to save them from the clutches of this insane asshole.

"It was too easy!" he yelled out again, a maniacal laugh following out from his mouth. "I just made some clones together with my fellow missing nin here, caught them unaware and tied them in the middle of the town and poured oil on a huge bonfire with an exploding note on it! One spark of chakra, and…" his hand made an expanding motion, a mad grin on his face. "Boom."

"You're… you're crazy! You're insane!" Naruto had no words to say anymore to this person. Instead, his eyes quickly darted from Yumi to Koutarou and Kagami and Tsubasa and Tsukasa and towards the general direction of the village. 'How… how can I save everyone?!'

Kurumi's mouth gaped open at the man's words and the terrible fate awaiting the townsfolk. What kind of human was this?! Even when her siblings rampaged around, they made deaths short and quick, not such a horrible fate! Her mind stopped working, the nonsensical actions of the nin made her stood still in shock and disbelief.

Gritting his teeth again, he opened his mouth, prepared to tell him the first lie in his life. "I'm Shiro's apprentice! I can forge you that sword you wanted! Shiro taught me his skills!"

"Naruto! No! Don't!" Yumi yelled out, not wanting Naruto to be involved in this maniac's scheme.

"This is the only way, mom!" Naruto countered back before he looked towards the man again. "Let them go, and I'll help you with it!"

"Oh? Will you really?" he said back, an evil grin on his face together with his friends as they heard Naruto's words and Yumi's reaction to it.

"I will! So just let them go!" Naruto yelled out, small drops of rain started to fall from the sky on his face.

"Alright," the man said with a shrug. "We don't need them anymore now that we have you. Let them go," he said. The other missing nin complied, letting the kids go, causing them to huddle together in fear though the nin were still watching them. Yumi was tossed on the ground in front of the lightning user, her small body roughly crashing on the ground though he still held the scruff of her neck. "Come here slowly. Don't do anything stupid."

Slowly Naruto walked towards them, hands up in a sign of surrender as he did so, his eyes darting towards everyone in the area. The nin were standing in a line with the lightning user, presumably their leader in the middle, Yumi in front of him with the kids in front of the other two nin beside him. His mind made up, Naruto tried to calm his beating twin hearts down.

"You know, you're pretty damn strong too," the leader said. "No one I ever knew below Kage level could use elemental jutsus without handseals, yet you did all of yours without a single one. Whoever you are and wherever you from, you're damn good. You're wasting time just sticking with this tiny village. Together, we could rule the world!"

"I'm not interested in ruling the world or to travel around with insane murderers like you!" Naruto shot back, not wanting a single part of him to be related to these assholes. "I'm just going to forge your swords!"

"Suit yourself," the man said as he watched Naruto's slow steps. His fellow missing nin stood ready with weapons out in case Naruto did something really stupid. But in the end, Naruto stood without a single stray action in front of the lightning user, his body stood defiantly in front of the man with his open hands held at head level. Naruto gave a sharp glare towards the lightning user that he promptly ignored with a grin on his face. "Well, thanks-"

Naruto's body quickly spun as he thrust his hand forward in a handknife at speeds almost impossible to track by regular eyes towards the man, only a millisecond separating his arm from harmless to deadly as extremely sharp wind chakra coated it, the humming of the deadly chakra coating echoing around the area as it shot towards the man's head, intent on killing him, and killing him dead.

A loud squelch was heard as Naruto's arm pierced flesh, the feeling of warm blood flowing around his hand as he felt soft flesh and bones around his arm, a sure sign of a killing blow as his eyes closed, not wanting to see his first human kill and have it permanently etched on his mind. Naruto pulled back his arm, letting the blood spray on him as he let out a breath of suspense.

"Phew, that was close," came the voice of the lightning user.

Naruto opened his eyes in horror at this, and what he saw completely devastated him. In front of him the man stood with a smirk on his face, his other arm lifting Yumi up, a gigantic hole on her chest the size of Naruto's hand with blood pouring out from the hole and from her mouth, staining her clothes red as her eyes widened in shock at the massive injury. "No… No no no no…" Naruto repeated hysterically as he fell on his knees, not believing his eyes as the sight of his dead stepmother was etched on his mind for life.

"Luckily I knew that you're going to do that," the man said as he let go, Yumi's body falling in a crumpled heap on his legs with Naruto looking at it in absolute horror. "You made too many signs, you know. I could see your intent from a mile away! You're still young!" he said, thunder rumbling overhead as raindrops started to fall.

Naruto heard none of this. Instead, he catatonically crawled towards Yumi's trembling figure, his mouth muttering nonsense all the while rain started to fall around him. With trembling hands he touched Yumi's figure, trying to play himself into thinking that this was just an illusion and it's not real. "No… this is not real…" he muttered repeatedly.

With her last breath, Yumi moved her bloody hand and placed one hand on Naruto's face, the blood on her fingers smearing Naruto's face in three lines, dripping down his whisker marks like tears of blood. "Naruto…" she said weakly. "You're… like a son…" she said, a light pinch on Naruto's cheek snapping him from his catatonic state, prompting him to react.

"No! Don't speak!" he screamed out to Yumi, placing a green glowing hand on her gaping chest. "I'll heal you!" he said, pouring more chakra in an attempt to heal her quicker.

"No…" Yumi groaned, blood dropping from her lips. "I… It's too late…"

"No! it's not! I'll save you!" Naruto said, tears flowing from his eyes on her nearly dead body as he did everything in his power to save her. 'Kurumi-chan, do something! Use your youki!'

"**I can't!"** she yelled back, quickly snapping from her shock as she saw the sight in front of her. **"Unlike you, she's not used to youki! She'll die!"**

'Is there nothing I can do?!'

"**I… I'm sorry Naruto,"** Kurumi said apologetically. "**Not even Hashirama could cure death, and he's the best medic that ever existed."**

"Naruto…" Yumi groaned again even as her dying breath was extended a little by Naruto's supreme efforts. "You're… not guilty…"

"Yes I am!" Naruto yelled out with tears running down his face as the rain started to fall even heavier, the drops pooling on his unruly hair. "I… I did this! I killed you!"

"No…" she groaned again, her voice weaker than ever. "You're… you're not…" with every ounce of her final strength, she spoke to Naruto. "Naruto… you're… my son… live… happily… find a… good girl… stay healthy… don't… forget…me…" she said, her hand slowly growing weaker as her strength finally failed, the hand falling down from Naruto's face to the ground, the thump echoing in Naruto's mind like a broken record.

"Wow! You're a medic too! Sure you don't want to join us? We'll be the greatest team to ever exist!" the man yelled out in joy as the rain fell on his face, an evil smile on his face. He just found the biggest treasure ever! This man will make his team the most powerful ever! "We can take over the Hidden Villages!"

His words went into deaf ears as Naruto concentrated his every skill at healing his mother. In his mind, he pretended not to see his mother's eyes, still looking at him in love and kindness even as life slowly flowed out of them, her blood barely stopping even with his skills. The green glow on Naruto's hands stopped as he finally came to the realisation that Yumi was dead due to him, her cooling body lying on the ground silently. His hands trembled as they left her dead body, no longer able to save her despite his best efforts. His eyes darkened as he balled his fist, his anger reaching level never-before seen.

"Guys!" the lightning user yelled suddenly. "Kill those kids!" he commanded. "We have no use for them now!" the nin obeyed with evil smiles of their own as they ran through handsigns to kill the group of frightened, crying children, their objective achieved. They did not ask any questions about his orders, only obeying without any thoughts of their own.

Naruto's rage quickly turned to horror as he heard this, his previous despair quickly forgotten as he turned around and shot towards the kids. Naruto's horror slowly intensified as he watched in slow motion the twin streams of fire and mud that the two spat out slowly inching towards the kids, the final legacy of his only mother and father figure as he cursed his body, his mind, his feelings, being unable to go faster. "Nooooo!" came his voice, slowed down like everything around him.

Koutarou's tiny hand reached out to grab Naruto's large one, his voice slowly heard to Naruto's ears. "Brotheeeer!" came his slow scream, the heat of the flames washing over them as he tried to run away from it, the stream of fire shining on his eyes as his head tilted towards the source, his fear and shock imprinted on Naruto's face as he saw the final moments of his life.

The flames rushed over them as time returned to its original speed to Naruto, burning them to a crisp before the mud stream rushed over them, washing them away in a torrent of unyielding mudslide, burying their bodies immediately after they were burnt to ashes, not a single part of them visible over the massive amount of mud covering their bodies.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" came Naruto's anguished scream as he roared to the sky, releasing all his anger and failure to the dark sky, the rain falling on him endlessly.

"Kill the people as well!" said the man as he twirled in a mockery of a dance move within the heavy rain, the euphoria he felt at watching such terrible despair felt like the most powerful drug to him. "Leave no proof of our existence!"

For the third time in a couple of hours Naruto was broken out of his stupor as his head snapped towards the figure of the missing nin who was holding a Tiger handseal, a sure sign of a chakra pulse to activate the seal on the village. "NOOOO!" he yelled again as he shot like a bullet to the nin to stop him. He must save those people! They're innocent!

He saw the pulse of chakra that the nin emitted before he managed to reach him and saw, rather than felt the massive fire that suddenly went up at the edge of his sight. A massive eruption of flame and noise, the light brightened up the dark sky as a massive inferno shone from the distance.

Not even the heavy clouds that hung overhead could extinguish the raging inferno that was the town before, as every single one of its inhabitants were mercilessly killed for no reason but the greed of a lone human. The faces of the town's populace went past his eyes, their final words they said to him echoing in his head as his mind went blank from the pain his heart was in.

"Hah! That'll show them!" the leader said before he felt a powerful oppressive aura coming from the giant in front of him. Much to his shock, the boy's figure was suddenly covered by a coating of thick, blood red chakra that bubbled together with a single tail made of corrosive chakra at his back, his bijuu cloak finally activated. "Shit!" the man said in horror. "This boy's a fucking demon! Kill him fast!" he barked to his men, each of them speeding through handseals to kill Naruto before he killed them as they tried to ignore the oppressive aura that the cloak was emitting as best as they were able.

Naruto, meanwhile, was crouching in front of the gates to Kurumi's cage, his body rocking on the foetid waters of her cage in absolute despair and anger. "Make them go away, make them pay, make them disappear, destroy them, annihilate them, kill them, crush them..." he muttered to himself, his young mind broken from the pain as waves upon waves of corrosive chakra poured forth from the cage, absorbed into Naruto's body, still rocking on the floor of the dark sewer, pain the only thing that he exuded.

Kurumi was doing her best to hold back Naruto from taking all of her powers forcefully, not wanting him to drown in rage and despair. **"Naruto!"** she yelled out as loud as she was able, tears flowing down her eyes all the while. **"Naruto! Wake up! Don't lose yourself! I'm still here! I promised, didn't I?!"** Yet, even despite her best efforts, Naruto's tumultuous emotions dragged her power forcefully, filling him with an inhumane strength, its madness swamping every single thought he had left within himself.

The last thing Naruto remembered was his vision covered in red, intense anger clouding his entire being before he knew no more as the ground around him erupted with his anger.

-CHAPTER END-

Read and review please.


	18. Chapter 16: Cursed Existense

One more for all of you!

It's never enough thanks for kylekatarn77, Serious Sam, Leaf Ranger, and all the rest of you guys who helped me to make this chapter.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: Naruto found the rest of his family. However, in a battle, they held Yumi as their hostage. The truth of Shiro and his family made itself known to Naruto who wanted to say they were lies, but inwardly he knew they were speaking the truth. Promising them that he would forge them the Mibu swords they were looking for, he wanted to let Yumi free, but his sudden attack struck Yumi instead, killing her. During his bout of despair, the insane nin killed every single one of the Mibus and the entire town he took as hostage. As the town burned, madness struck Naruto before he dragged Kurumi's powers in his emotional imbalance.

CHAPTER 16: CURSED EXISTENSE

UPLOADED: 13 DECEMBER 2015

-CHAPTER START-

Naruto's clone was still treating Shiro at this point, though for some reason his body won't heal anymore, no longer accepting the healing chakra Naruto made. His damage was too profound to be left as it was but he had no idea what's causing it as he continued. "Dad, you-" was the only thing that the clone could speak before he suddenly exploded into chakra smoke for no visible reason, leaving Shiro alone and weak.

"What the hell?" he muttered as he tried his best to stand up, holding on to the fallen table to steady himself. "What happened?" he said before he heard the rain became heavier, the sound of the dense raindrops echoed within the house as a sudden pain stabbed his chest. "What...?" he wondered.

At the same time, he saw the massive flames coming from the town, the heat washing over his injured figure as he limped to the front door before holding it. Much to his utter shock, he saw that the entire town was burning wildly, the smell of burnt flesh hanging high over the air as he figured out that the people of the town were burnt in the massive firestorm as well.

Sliding down the doorframe, he laughed to himself. "Hehe… I should've known," he said to himself. "I cannot leave my past behind. It will keep chasing me, no matter what." He looked towards the dark sky above, the massive firestorm brightening. "Naruto… Yumi… I hope you're safe…" he said slowly, wishing that he was dead by this time as he slowly stood and dragged himself to a chair and sat himself on it, his mind in turmoil at his family's fate.

A while later, the heavy rain finally managed to extinguish the flames. Yet, it's too late, for by that point, the entire town already nothing but charred ashes. The townsfolk were all tied around a massive bonfire in the middle of the town as the nin said, the stench of their dead bodies hung like a mist of death within the remnants of the village. The buildings were all charred, nothing left behind them, but desolation.

Shiro snapped out of his contemplation as he heard the unmistakable sound of Naruto's heavy footsteps splashing over the puddles of water the heavy rain caused as he came close. He stood up as Naruto's figure appeared at the doorframe, a body within his hands with the distinctive smell of blood around him. "Naruto…?" he questioned. "Where's Yumi… and the kids…?"

"Dead," Naruto answered flatly, his tone dead. "I… I failed, Dad. I…" he suddenly broke into tears as he fell on his knees, the figure in his hands falling to the ground in front of him. Shiro quickly stumbled as fast as he could towards the figure. Much to his horror, it was his wife, his beloved Yumi, looking like she was calmly sleeping if not for the pale face and the large gaping hole where her heart was supposed to be. "I…" Naruto choked out, tears falling continuously from his eyes. "I killed them. I failed…" And so, as he sobbed and cried, he told Shiro of everything that happened with the nin, not skipping even a single action or word.

"Naruto…" Shiro said before he hugged Naruto tightly. "It wasn't your fault. It was mine. I shouldn't have lived and carried the sins of the Mibu clan with me," he spoke. Naruto must have an idea by now why they hid here from the way he looked, not to mention the fact that he would probably have questioned the nin as to why they attacked them.

Naruto understood now why they hid their surname. Yet he also knew that he was the closest person he ever had to a father. "No!" Naruto yelled out. "I killed her! My hand went through her chest!"

"Hush, Naruto. I know… I know…" he whispered. He could already deduce what happened. Naruto would never, ever do anything to harm his family. "You avenged them, right?"

"I… I did… but…" Naruto said, his tears still not stopping. "I felt empty! I felt worthless! I… I'm sorry!" Naruto yelled out as he cried and cried on his shoulders, not caring about his bloody figure.

"I know, Naruto… I know…" whispered Shiro, his eyes in tears as well at this event as they both cried, their tears falling on the floor of the broken home with Yumi's dead figure beside them.

Their tender moment was broken by Shiro's terrible cough, a wad of blood shooting from his throat to Naruto's blood drenched body. "Shit," he muttered out.

"Dad! What happened?!" Naruto questioned out loud. "Hold on, I'll heal you!"

"No need," Shiro said, pushing away Naruto's hand. "It's the end for me anyway. I think I have about a week or so to live."

"No! I'll-"

"Give it up, kid," he said, cutting through Naruto's words. "But I want you to do me a favour. Can you?"

"Anything! I'll do anything!" Naruto quickly answered.

"Carry my legacy."

"What?" Naruto asked in surprise. His legacy?

"I'm sure you know about me being the last member of the Mibu clan by now from the way you looked just now." Naruto's slow nod allowed him to continue. "As you might already know, our sword style killed its user slowly. That's why you cannot heal me. I want you to inherit my sword style, the Mumyou Jinpu Ryuu Satsujin Ken and our forging technique."

"But they're cursed! And I'll help heal you! You can find someone else more worthy than me to carry it on! You can even teach a son of yours!" Naruto said in tears, not wanting his only father figure to die as well due to his own failure.

"You _are_ my son!" Shiro hissed out, surprising Naruto. He never reacted when he called him dad. In fact, he hated it! "You are my only son now, Naruto. There's no one else I would inherit these skills to. I want to erase the name 'Mibu' from the earth, and my death will complete the destruction of the Mibu clan."

"But why?!" Naruto yelled out, not believing his ears.

"We Mibus were an evil clan, Naruto. We dabbled in forbidden arts, lengthening our own lifespan at the cost of others. I am two hundred and thirteen years old by now, Naruto. The only reason why I managed to live this long is by using someone else's essence to extend my life. I've stopped, but I was actually supposed to die a long time ago."

"I think you already knew this, but we dabbled in every type of human experimentation available," he added, with Naruto nodding in understanding, tears flowing from his eyes. "We did everything and then some. We modified everyone. Ourselves, our prisoners, our children, anyone we can get our hands on. All to satiate our insane bloodlust. We fought and fought until the entire can killed itself. I managed to run away from my mad clan and lived in isolation. This town was where I met Yumi, and we hide no secrets. She knew just who I am, and we loved each other, and that is enough for us."

"I won't say I'm innocent, if you're expecting that. I performed many a terrible operation. I've had so much blood on my hands that dying will not even be enough for me to repent. The only thing I can do is pass my knowledge to you, Naruto, my son. I can feel your heart after all these years, and I know that you'll use the knowledge for good."

"Our sword style, the Mumyou Jinpu Ryuu Satsujin Ken was extremely damaging to the user, so when your clone told me about what you are, I am even surer that you're the only one that could inherit this technique from me with your Astartes body." He then scoffed. "Now I understood what you said all those years ago."

He then stared straight into Naruto's tearful eyes. "Naruto," he said. "Consider these my last gifts to you. Sorry I am not able to give you any more, Naruto. Use these skills wisely, because what determined the evilness of something is how you used it."

Naruto's tears fell even harder after that, knowing that his father's life was about to come to an end. Holding his broken heart together with nothing but willpower, Naruto put up a brave face and looked him straight into the eye. "Okay," he said, snot still flowing from his nose as his tears stopped.

"That's my son," Shiro said with a forced smile. He then grabbed Naruto's head with one hand, a hand that only now Naruto realised was more calloused than his own was. "Naruto," he began. "I will transfer the knowledge of my techniques directly into your mind. This would be the most dangerous way of teaching you the techniques, but at this point, I have nothing to lose. You're my only disciple Naruto, and my remaining son. Do not fail this."

"Okay, dad." Naruto said, his tears held back as he bit his lips, not wanting his tears to fall anymore. "I will not."

"Good. We'll begin." Naruto suddenly felt a massive pain in his mind as thousands of images entered his mind like hundreds of still pictures as his knowledge flowed into his brain, the sudden surge of knowledge nearly drowning him in its vividness, almost as if he was experiencing it himself.

-BREAK-

It was four days and nights later that Shiro finally let go of Naruto's head before he slumped down in tiredness and hunger. His knowledge finally transferred successfully to Naruto after a gruelling mind meld session, his entire body groaning in pain at this as he ignored the thrashed home, knowing that he won't live for much longer to see it.

The transfer was extremely damaging and tiring, especially since both the user and the receiver must not move a single inch from their spot as the process was being done. Many died before during such a mind transfer, and only the strong-willed survive. Shiro may have a broken and battered body, but his willpower was nothing to scoff at, allowing him to survive the ritual, but only barely.

Naruto meanwhile fared no better. The transfer was extremely invasive and painful, wounds erupting on his skin from the mental stress it caused, his body echoing the terrible mental pain he was experiencing, though they healed instantly with his immense regenerative abilities. His head felt as if it was made of stone and his body as worn as never before despite his bloodline, him huffing for breath continuously.

Shiro somehow recovered faster from the way he looked as he stood up before going to the shed at the back before coming back with a scroll that Naruto quickly identified as a sealing scroll. "Naruto," he began. "In here's a huge amount of chakra reactive steel that I bought before. I was going to use it to make a sword for you, but this just had to happen, so I've placed it on the backburner. However, this would be your time. Use my knowledge and forge a sword."

"What-"

"Use me," Shiro said, already knowing what Naruto was about to ask.

"What?! No! I can't do that!" Naruto yelled out loud. The Mibu's secret forging technique requires a sacrifice by its smith, a living being be used as the source of its fire and blood as its water. The entire process was terrifying and brutal, but the result would be a powerful sword that was unbreakable, an extremely powerful sword. It's no wonder that the people who used them ended up insane.

In a way, Naruto understood. It's quite like sealing, where one's blood is one of the best catalysts for seals due to the lifeforce that it contained which gave it a powerful chakra presence. However, the Mibu's technique uses not just blood but a soul as its catalyst, the ultimate source of life in a person. This would result in a very powerful weapon. However, their regular forging style was also extremely good, resulting in the extremely sharp axe that Naruto found at the stump the first time he was there. But the forbidden Mibu forging technique made it a thousand fold better.

"Naruto," he said in a soothing voice. "I cannot live long. My body was too damaged from my sudden usage of the Mumyou Jinpu Ryuu Satsujin Ken as you already know. I only had about a week from when I used the style, less now. Rather than waste it as a dead body, I would like my spirit to accompany you in the form of a sword. I'll be with you at all times, and I'll watch over you."

"But…" Naruto sobbed, tears flowing from his eyes again as the impact of what he said registered on his mind. "But I'll lose you!"

Shiro shook her head before he kneeled in front of Naruto's heart and placed a hand on his chest, feeling the bizarre twin hearts of Naruto beat in time with each other. "You really have two hearts," he chuckled. "Naruto, you won't lose me," he said in a calm tone. "I will always be here, in your hearts." He looked into Naruto's eyes before he smiled. "As long as you remember me, I'll be with you. Remember me every time you swing your sword. Remember me every time you forge something. Remember me, and I'll never be apart from you."

Sniffing his tears, Naruto nodded. "Yes," he said before he stood to his full height and followed behind his father, the scroll still in his hands as he headed to the forge, quite glad that it survived whatever terrible events that took place days before.

Naruto created an army of clones that immediately went to town to clean the area up and burying the villagers, dead because of a fellow human's actions. He sent a small group to the battlefield. He wanted to clean up the ninjas that he brutally killed, their body nothing but minced meat at that point. Some also went to dig up the bodies of his siblings.

Siblings that despite his promise, he failed to protect.

Heading to the smelter, Shiro turned around to face Naruto. "Naruto, take my wife as well. Burn her with me."

"Okay," Naruto said in a sad tone. In a short time, he came back with Yumi's body, already infested by maggots as he carried it to the smelter and placed her within the fireplace below it.

"Naruto," Shiro said before he hugged Naruto's massive body. "I will not forget you, my son. I'll be watching you, both close by, and from afar."

"Okay," Naruto said, knowing that nothing he did or say will change his mind. Bending down, Naruto unsealed the scroll, revealing a truly massive amount of chakra reactive metal in it. He then prepared himself to light his own father figure on fire as he stood beside the smelter, watching as his father climbed with his battered body to his own death. Settling down on the fireplace by himself, he said his final words. "Naruto."

"Yeah Dad?" Naruto said, tears falling down like waterfall from his eyes as he watched his father's own teary eyes.

"Make me your most powerful sword," Shiro said, tears falling from his eyes into the ashes of the fireplace.

"I will." Naruto quickly shovelled coal into the fireplace, nearly covering his father figure with it. Before lighting up the flames, Naruto took his father's wrist and slit it, letting the blood pour into an awaiting bucket underneath. With a powerful flame, he lit them on fire, watching as the coals surrounding his father and mother burned merrily as the last drops of his blood flowed into the bucket, his entire face scrunched up in sadness as his tears fell without stopping.

Meanwhile, Shiro felt the heat of the coals surrounding him as he felt his body weakening from the lack of blood, a smile on his face the whole time. Holding on to the hand of his dead wife, he whispered, unheard by anyone with the same smile on his face. "My love, we'll be together forever now, as Naruto's sword. We will guard him, we will kill for him, and we will be with him at all times. Forgive this foolish husband of yours for everything, Yumi, my love." And just before the flames engulfed him completely, he thought he saw Yumi's dead face move, returning his smile as the fires engulfed them both.

-BREAK-

With his father as the fuel, Naruto began smelting the metal, the smell of burnt body something that he was already familiar with thanks to his clones clearing out the village. The fires were strangely unquenchable as he smelted, creating the best steel combination for his sword, the sword of his father and mother. He took an entire week to create the metals needed for his sword, his tears flowing all the time as he stayed awake, fully utilising his body's unnatural endurance thanks to the Catalepsean Node.

However, he reached his limit soon after, and created Shadow Clones to help him continue the process as he slept for a while, his tears never stopped even during his sleeping moments. Waking up a short while later, he went back to the forge and relieved his clones as he continued. He scooped the burning coal from the smelter and moved them to the furnace, his Mucranoid layer thickening to prevent him from overheating.

There, he melts the metal down and made bars out of them that he cooled down with a bucket of his father's and his own blood mixed with the tears that still flowed from his eyes before he heated them back in the furnace and hammering it carefully, flowing his chakra and Kurumi's youki through it, letting the sword absorb it in an effort to empower it. Tirelessly he hammered on the metal, folding it again and again, creating layers of steel of different strength and thickness for use with every part of the sword. For the entire week, the entire smithy rang with the sound of hammering metal as Naruto kept doing the task of many by himself.

After another resting session, he covered the weapon in clay which contained the ashes of his parents before baking the unfinished blade once again, absorbing any impurities from it. The folding and the claying session were repeated, ensuring that the blade became harder and stronger while retaining its durability. In the end, after another week on non-stop work only possible due to his bloodline, Naruto finished his unsharpened blade, a nodachi over three feet long.

He then sharpened the blade, using the blood mixture again as water to clean the sword as he did so, giving it an eerie red sheen at the back as the metal absorbed his blood. The process took him 3 days, where in the end, he ended up with a massive sharp blade, his every move on it done with his chakra running in it as a sign of tribute.

As he sharpened the blade, his clones looked for materials to make the hilt and the tsuba. They found it within his store; a special type of wood not found in the Elemental Nations that must be imported from outside. With the wood in hand and a piece of leather, they cut the wood and made a fitting hilt three foot long. Another clone laboured over the sword's sheathe, creating a beautiful wooden masterpiece. Painted black from all the strengthening and suppression seals on it, he then laid golden patterns on it, accentuating the solid black even more.

Taking the assembled hilt from his clones, Naruto installed the hilt on the sword's end, fitting it carefully and as strong as he could to prevent any breakage to it. Finishing the hilt, he placed the tsuba on, a beautifully carved golden hand guard with a circular shape and claw marks on them around both sides.

Finally sure that the fittings were done well and held strong Naruto etched what would be the sword's name close to the tsuba on one side, with the kanji for "In Heaven's name I remember" etched on the other side. Blowing off the resulting steel dust, he lifted his complete sword before giving it a couple of practice swings and placed it inside its sheath, testing how it fits before finally being satisfied with his sword.

Pulling it out of its sheath, Naruto ran a finger on its edge, savouring the pain that it caused as it cut his finger, letting his blood dribble on the edge. Much to his surprise, the droplet actually disappeared into nothingness, probably absorbed into the blade. "Dad was right," he said out. "Mibu blades really do drink blood."

He looked at the edge before saying to it. "My sword, from now on, you will follow me. You will be my blade, my shield, my execution tool. You will quench your thirst on the blood of my enemy or my own, whichever was to be found at the time."

"You're made by the body and spirit of my parents, and they made you what you are now."

"Each swing reminds me of my father's strength," Naruto said, a drop of tear falling down from his face as the memories of his beloved father replayed within his mind.

"Each block reminds me of my mother's strong spirit and her gentleness," he continued, Yumi's motherly attention the next thing that was in his mind as her kind smile seemed to glow within his memories.

"Each pull reminds me of the day I failed my siblings." Naruto grabbed the blade, slowly sliding it into its meticulously crafted hilt, tears flowing down his eyes.

"You, my sword, are a reminder of the day I failed, the day I lost everything and the day I killed for the first time. As a reminder of failure, I swear that I will never fail again, and you will be the reminder of that oath as well."

"By Heaven, you'll be my memory. Everything that I am and everything that I will be, everything was forged together when I made you." Naruto lifted his sword high into the sky, pointing it towards the sun. "From now on, your name will be Tenrou! Rage across the heavens as you tear through our enemies, and be victorious!" as if agreeing, the sword shined a bright light as it hummed, almost seeming like it's happy with the name it was baptized with.

-BREAK-

It rained the day he took a final look at the house that he lived in for three years, Tenrou in its sheath, tied at his left waist. "So, I am finally leaving. Father, mother. I will make you proud. Watch over me." Turning around with tears in his eye, he walked away from the damaged house before the house erupted in a massive ball of flame, the result of a seal Naruto made earlier.

'So, we're back on the road again,' Naruto said to Kurumi.

"**Yeah…" **Kurumi said with a small sigh, knowing just how much Naruto actually kept bottled within. However, she understood that Naruto was a new man now. Not tied to a village nor to a place, Naruto was a wanderer, her and his sword being his only company. **"Naruto, I-"**

'Don't worry, Kurumi-chan,' Naruto said with a forced smile. 'I think I'll know what to do. Besides, I had no destination right?'

"**Okay Naruto. Just know that both your parents would be watching over you."**

'I know,' Naruto said as he placed a hand on his chest, feeling the twin hearts beating. 'I will never forget them, ever.'

Leaving the burning house and burnt town, Naruto began his journey anew, not having a destination in mind as he travelled, not knowing what he would see in the future…

-CHAPTER ENDS-

Thus ends Naruto's life with the Mibus. Also, I shouldn't have to say this, but I'm no blacksmith. All those details were what I researched using Google, so please don't complain about accuracy and such stuff. What do you think? Read and review.


	19. Chapter 17: An Unguided Journey

Kept you waiting, huh?

It's been a long while, and I know that. Sorry about it. But here's another chapter for you guys! Special thanks to everyone that helped me with these chapters. So many helped that I forgot who, but always know that your contributions will be in my heart always. You guys are awesome, and please help me again.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: Naruto returned to his house, where he saw Shiro lay injured. After telling the news of his failure, Shiro told Naruto that he did not had long to live, so he imparted him all his knowledge on smithing and his sword technique, the Mumyou Jinpuu Ryu before telling Naruto to use his new knowledge on smithing and to use him as the fuel for his forge. After forging the sword he named Tenrou, he left the ruins of the village, going on….

CHAPTER 17: AN UNGUIDED JOURNEY

UPLOADED 16 APRIL 2016

BETAED BY: No one with these new edits…. But previously, by a whole bunch of people.

-CHAPTER START-

"Please let us go!" a man pleaded to the bandits that blocked his road. "We have no money!" The man was on a horsecart, his entire family of five on it as well, probably moving from one town to another when the bandits ambushed him.

"Ah!" a bandit, one of four circling him yelled out loudly. "But you see, this is our turf!"

"Yeah!" Another yelled out in cohorts. "And to pass by, you'll need to pay the toll!"

"B-but we have no money!" the man cried out, his thin figure showing just how long has it been since he had a decent meal. Even his horse looked tired and weary from all he journey the family went through.

"Bad luck then," the first bandit said out. "You cannot pass through without paying." His eyes then wandered towards the passenger of the cart, catching the sight of the man's daughter, her thin body looking lifeless as her eyes met with the bandit's.

"Or maybe…" the bandit said out, an evil grin on his face. "We'll have your daughter as payment!"

"No!" the man screamed out. "Not my daughter!" protested the man. Yet his protests fell on deaf ears as one of the bandits went straight towards his daughter, her frightened expression ignored as the bandits gazed at his frightened daughter with evil thoughts in mind, an evil grin on his face.

"Hehe!" the bandit laughed evilly as he grabbed the girl's arm and dragged her away, her strength no match with the bandit's brutish force. "She'll be a good payment! Won't she, boys?" he yelled out loud, a massive grin on his face as the thought of enjoying such delectable payment played in his mind.

"Yeah!" the rest of the bandit troupe shouted their approval at once, brandishing their spears and blades high in agreement, the same thought in their fellow bandit's mind playing in their own. They haven't had something as good for quite some time. "We are going to have 'fun' tonight!" one of them yelled, a cheer rising through their ragged ranks at this thought, much to the horror of the family.

One of the bandits - looking behind as one of their rear watch - spotted a coming figure down the road they were on, walking alone at the horizon without a care in the world. "Hey boss," he said, alerting his leader.

"What?"

"Look over there," he said, pointing towards the figure. "There's someone coming."

"Well?" he said gruffly. "What are you waiting for?! Get going!" he growled angrily. Idiots! "That's another target for us!"

In a very short moment the figure managed to close the distance between him and the bandits. So close he was that they could see his features clearly. He was young and slightly shorter than a regular adult, standing 5' 3". His body was broad and muscular, wearing a black shirt with black pants with a beautiful black sheath with ornate golden markings tied to his left waist, the handle of a sword protruding from it. His long, fast strides allowed him to approach them quickly, something the rear guard bandit saw.

"Whoa boss," he said, alerting his leader as he caught the man's figure and his looks. "Look at this guy."

The leader turned and faced the approaching figure, his steps not even slowed by the sight of the bandits on the road. "Wow," he whistled. "He looks tough," he commented as he caught sight of the figure. His eyes noticed the presence of the beautiful sheath and sword on the man's waist as it quickly snapped towards it, his mind quickly wondering about the sword. "And damn that sword looks beautiful. Maybe we could get it for some good money?" he spoke out, voicing his question as greed took over him "Let's go boys!" he yelled out, calling out the other bandits hiding within the bushes at the roadside, totalling ten heads as they prepared to stop this stranger.

In minutes the group of ten circled the stranger, stopping him. With a cocky voice and a similarly cocky face, a large grin was on his face as he spoke in a fake friendly voice. "Hello there, stranger! What have you there?" His fellow bandits, faces sporting the same grin as the one that spoke before stood lazily around the stranger, their weapons brandished and ready to attack.

The stranger said no words, not even a change in his facial expression as he saw the bandits around him prepare their weapons to attack him. Seeing his lack of reaction, the bandit cane closer, placing his face straight into the man's own. "Don't worry, mister. We don't want much. We just want your sword. As toll, you know. I hope you understand," he spoke, his voice almost comforting if not for the cruel grin he was still sprouting on his face.

"Yeah, man…." The rest of the bandits quickly said together in agreement as they all nodded. "Your life is worthless for us. We just want your money and that sword of yours. Looks like it can fetch a pretty penny in the market." The rest of the bandits quickly agreed, a small cheer broke out among them as the thought of getting and selling such a beautiful sword came to their mind.

The man said nothing, only untying the sheathe from his waist and held it steady in front of him. The bandit's eyes light up from this action as greed seemed to glow from the faces of the bandits around the man. "Yeah, that's right! Just give it to us, and we'll promise you a safe path!" '…To the afterworld,' the bandit spoke inwardly, hiding an evil smirk from the outside.

The bandit stepped forward, one hand holding the spear he used while the other stretched towards the black sheathe. In his mind, he could already picture himself selling the blade, gaining lots upon lots of cash. They could live in luxury! No more banditry, no more having to struggle to find something to eat! Everything will be okay with the world, and they could disband with their riches! Such a master crafted item will not be cheap, for sure!

A streak of light flashed in the eyes of the bandits around the stranger. Their eyes blinked collectively from the beam's brightness. Before they could even wonder what happened just now, the bandit right in the face of the stranger had his eyes widen. And all of a sudden, a red line appeared at the bandit's torso, a diagonal line straight from his shoulder to his hips as his worn clothes began to tear off. Slowly his body began to slide off as blood poured from his torso, having been cleanly cut. With a loud, wet squelch, the bandit's body parted, both halves falling to the ground in an expanding pool of blood with a small splash.

The bandits around him quickly backed away from him as the shock of seeing their fellow bandit be cut in half so callously struck them, causing them to instinctively react to escape. But their shock turned to rage as the deaths of one of their comrades registered to them. They quickly lifted their weapons, their fears temporarily hidden as they charged the man in close range, ready to tear him apart.

The man spun, his blade deflecting the spears and machetes the bandits used in a single swing. He spun his blade over his head amidst the bewildered bandits, before swinging his blade in a circle around him. Only a single red flash was seen before the bandits' head all fell off from their neck, blood spurting out of the stump, showering him with their blood and darkening his clothes as they absorbed the thick liquid.

Yet not a single drop of blood was on his blade, suddenly no longer within its sheathe, visible to the world.

"What?!" the bandit leader exclaimed in surprise, not believing the sight of his men dying easily from the mysterious men. "Useless punks!" he hissed out. He glared at the man as he came towards him, slowly walking towards him with his sword outstretched beside him, the dark red backbone of the sword seemed to glow underneath the evening sun. His mind ran in overdrive, trying to figure out a way to save himself from this monster. His eyes snapped aside, and quickly an idea came to his mind.

A loud shriek echoed through the woods as the bandit leader grabbed the girl from the cart and pulled her close, an arm in a chokehold as another held his looted, worn sword to her neck. "Stay back!" he warned, ignoring the father's futile pleas of mercy. "I have a hostage! Stay back, or she gets it!" He screamed.

The footsteps of the man halted as he saw this action, and the bandit was convinced that it was the right course of action. His mouth opened to scream out another warning, but the man suddenly dashed ahead, his sword in a thrusting motion. Before the bandit can do anything, the man was already in front of him, his sword piercing through his forehead easily as his other hand ripped the girl off his hand and threw her to the ground right beside her father. A cross of light appeared on the bandit's body, the only sign before the man's body was bisected cleanly from top to bottom, and side to side, the top half of his body flying off from the force of his attack, blood and entrails showering the family and the mysterious stranger.

In a single sweep he sheathed the sword back in its house before quickly tying it back to his waist. His head turned, and the terrified father's eyes met the eyes of his bloody saviour; a pair of cold, blue eyes stared back at him almost as deep as a chasm, and colder than snow. With a single abrupt turn, the man left them, blood soaked and trembling in fear, both of their dead captors and their saviour.

It took a while for the entire family to recover from their bloody ordeal. As the father recovered, the only thing he do was stammer. "W-w-w-who w-was t-that?" Words that went unheard as every one of his family member was too busy being both disgusted and horrified at what just happened in front of their eyes, the gruesome remnants of the event all around them.

-BREAK-

"**Don't you think that's a bit excessive?"**

'I guess. But that's the fastest way to get them off those people.'

Naruto left the site of his recent massacre emotionlessly, not even looking at his latest victims as he ran towards the closest river. It had been slightly over a week since he began his travels anew with the clothes on his body, Kurumi and Tenrou as his company. Along the way, he saw that bandits were the law of the roads, something he was wholeheartedly against. As such, he never failed to help those in trouble that he met in his travels.

However, his methods... were questionable.

Utilising the skills of the Mumyou Jinpuu Ryu that was recently implanted within his mind by his foster father, he took every single one of his targets down, leaving behind a huge splatter of flesh and viscera. Every bandit he met along his random path died in an explosion of blood and gore. He left no survivors. He never said a word before or after, his silence and brutality never failing to unnerve the survivors.

He had no mercy to give these thugs that threatened the lives of others.

Yet even as he killed the bandits he met in his path, the immense pain in his heart never went away. He does not kill for revenge. He knew that no matter what, his family was dead and gone, even killed by his own two hands. Nothing he could do could make them come back. He killed as he met people in trouble. But even the sight of the people he saved did nothing to heal the massive wound in his heart.

Naruto glanced at Tenrou, looking at its sheath. The blade, as he realised, made reddish glows every time it flew, probably due to the blood red colour at the flat side of the blade. Any blood that it touched seemed to disappear, showing just how hungry the blade is for blood. Lifting it up after untying it from his waist, he whispered to it. "You're quite hungry Tenrou. Guess you really are sentient." Tenrou just hummed in happiness.

A Mibu blade is a semi-sentient monstrosity in the form of a sword, always hungry and thirsty for more blood and flesh from its master. They whispered their incessant desires to their master, driving the man mad from the voice within their head. Those who are weak will fall prey to the blade, causing them to rampage in an orgy of slicing death until they themselves die from their exertion, or by someone else killing them.

Tying the sheath and the blade back to his waist, he continued his run towards the nearest river, his mind kept looking back at his actions during the entire week since he left the village he lived in for three years.

The village was remote, preventing a fast response from any Hidden Villages that can detect the chakra he used. And he had no doubt that someone will feel Kurumi's chakra that he forcefully drew to destroy those missing nins. Thus, he decided to run away as fast as possible to avoid being tracked right after he finished Tenrou's forging. But before he did so, he cleared the entire village alone, gave the populace and the village a mass burial with Doton jutsu, leaving only a wide clearing. Since then, he walked on and on, stopping only to rest for the night. He even minimised his chakra usage as to not trigger any sensors that might detect him.

He had no destination in his mind, just a desire to get away from his painful memories, something aplenty in his short life. His routine never changed during the short time. Walk, eat, kill bandits, move on to another location that's further from Konoha and his old village. At night, he stopped and rested, though his senses were open and alert, just in case he met another unfortunate traveller within these bandit-infested lands before 'helping' them with his skills. Then run to the nearest river, and clean himself up.

It does not take long before Naruto found a nice location for him to wash off the blood on him. A small waterfall, about three times his height in the middle of a forest clearing. Sensing nothing of note around, he walked straight towards the waterfall. Holding Tenrou with its sheath in one hand, he went under the waterfall and calmly stood, letting the powerful water crash onto his body.

Closing his eyes, Naruto felt the frigid water wash over him, letting it cleanse his body and soul with its strength. He let the roar of falling waters seep into his mind, clearing his troubled mind with its powerful voice as his body felt the coldness of the water, the thin Mucranoid layer on his skin reducing the cold he felt. The water turned red as the blood from the bandits before were washed away by the powerful force, and within moments, even the scent of blood no longer stuck to his clothing.

In his mind, the memories of his time with the Mibu echoed almost like a terrifying nightmare. Again and again the sight of his arm stabbing through his mother's torso, her hot blood running on his arm replayed in his mind. The sight of his little brothers and sisters dying, their tears and small shrieks echoing within his ears. The sight of his father that he torched himself, his ashes used as Tenrou's forging. Everything hurts so badly, it messed with his thoughts.

Kurumi said nothing as she watched Naruto's actions. She already knew about his pain, about the nightmares, about the memories. Inwardly, she regretted her decision to enhance his mind. A human should be able to forget, to clean the slate of their mind and help them advance, but not Naruto. Thanks to her modifications, he can no longer forget anything, no matter how terrible or cruel it was. His perfect recall kept overlaying the scenes of his family's death within his sight.

'You know,' He suddenly said, causing Kurumi's ears to perk up. 'I… I don't know what to do right now,' he said. Looking up at the evening sky through the loud rush of water around him, he continued. 'It's like… everything was falling down around me. My family, my little brothers, my life, everything.'

He looked at Tenrou in his hand. 'Nowadays, I killed without mercy, feeding Tenrou. Before, I cannot even kill someone. I felt… guilty. Not bandits, not that one ninja back in Konoha all those years ago. But now, they're second nature. It's my first and last move.'

His eyes went back to the darkening sky. 'I sometimes felt like… I'm better off dead. I had nothing with me. I only bring devastation to those around me.' A small laugh escaped his lips. 'Father would be disappointed in me if he's not a bloodthirsty sword now.'

"**No he's not, Naruto!"** Kurumi yelled out. **"And you're not better off dead! As long as you're alive, there's hope!"**

Naruto scoffed at her words. 'And you said I was naïve before. Isn't that too optimistic?'

"**You are better off alive, Naruto,"** Kurumi repeated in a slow voice. **"It is naïve, but if you're alive, you can change things for the better. If you're dead, there's nothing you can do."** A smile was on her face as she said the next words. **"Besides, you have me. You didn't bring disaster to me."**

'Maybe it's just not time yet,' Naruto shrugged off her words. 'Maybe the world is waiting for a good time to screw me over again.'

"**Let the world try then!"** Kurumi roared suddenly. **"Let the world try, and we'll break its attempt! We'll counter its every move! Show the legendary Uzumaki resilience, Naruto! No Uzumaki worth his salt would just lie down and let the world roll over him!"**

Naruto just let out a small laugh at this. 'Yeah. That's right.' Once again, he lets the cascading water fall on top of him, letting it clear his mind. 'Uzumaki resilience… Maybe I'm just not cut out to be one.'

"**Why are you so negative now, Naruto? You've always been positive. "**

Naruto sighed out loud. 'Maybe because I've lost everything around me.'

"**You still have me. I promised, Naruto. I'll be with you, thick or thin."**

'You did, Kurumi-chan,' Naruto said with a smile, feeling his faltering spirit slightly bolstered by her words. 'And I hope you'll be with me until the end of time.'

"**I will. No worries."**

With a small sad smile on his face, Naruto stood underneath the rushing waterfall. Standing still, he let a minuscule amount of chakra flow from his skin into the water before controlling them. Mentally he moved the water through his clothes, letting them wash as much of the blood on him as possible. With his control over chakra, he used the absolute minimum, so much so that only the best of sensors can hope to detect the trace of chakra.

"**That's a very good water control."**

'Yeah,' Naruto said with a sad smile. Power, but without direction nor objective. Turning around, he left the area, intent on avoiding people for the day as he leapt through the forests. After a while, the sky became completely dark, and Naruto decided that he'd stop for the day. He may be capable of enduring a night or two without sleep, but nowadays, he felt no need to.

Heading towards a large tree, he lied down on its base, his back on the trunk with Tenrou held tightly by his side. Closing his eyes, he went into his mindscape, his only refuge from the world's challenges. Appearing just ahead of Kurumi's massive chamber, he walked into the chamber before stopping right in front of the massive gold bars that made her cage and sat down on the foetid waters, his back lying on the cage.

"**Hello, Naruto."** Her massive figure appeared behind the cage as she sat down, getting as close to the cage as possible with one tail snaking out between the bars, heading towards Naruto. With a smile, Naruto accepted the bundle of fur, wrapping it around him like a blanket within the cold, wet and smelly sewer that was his mind. **"You know, you always liked my tails, even when you're just a little kid."**

"I do," Naruto answered with a smile, grabbing a handful of her luscious, shiny fur in his hands. "They're soft, warm and comfortable. Just like you."

"**That's nice of you,"** she replied with a smile, a blush on her face as Naruto's words warmed her heart. **"Sorry I can't be with you out there. This cage does not allow me."**

"Can't I just rip it off?" Naruto asked, smelling her fur, letting his nose remember her nice earthy scent and forgetting the foetid sewer around him. "That seal doesn't look too strong. Father probably made it that way," he said as he glared at the thin piece of paper holding back the bars to her cage. Yet even he knew the reason why that was not feasible.

"**I wish so, Naruto. But the backlash of power from my sudden release might kill you,"** Kurumi spoke, something that Naruto already knew from before.

Naruto's lips scrunched up as the loneliness that he felt all through the entire week hit him like a hammer. The familial feeling, something he never gained elsewhere, something that was with him through all of the previous three years was something that he missed. The warmth of his family, their lovely nature, everything once again replayed within his mind. And he knew they will never disappear, and it will haunt him always until the end of time. "I…" he said, holding his knees together as he did his best to prevent his tears from falling down.

"**Naruto, you're never alone,"** Kurumi said in a calming voice, using the tip of her tail to caress Naruto, already knowing his feeling. **"You know I'm always with you."**

"Yes, thank you, Kurumi-chan," Naruto said with a smile as he placed his head on his knees, getting some sleep as Kurumi's tails blanketed him.

Kurumi looked at Naruto's figure as he slept, her mind churning. She knew what Naruto went through, having seen it all. She cannot help but feel sad at her own inability to completely help him with his loneliness, unable to be with him in the real world as he travelled through it. She was his companion, sure, but only mentally, a voice that advised him, helped him train, that helped kept his sanity.

She thought for a moment about Naruto. She wanted to be with him at his side. To keep him company during the lonely days, to be with him as he travelled, to fight with him as he fought. It's something that she can't get out of her head. In here, in his mind, Naruto looked defenceless, like a baby. It is the only place where he could drop his guard down. She wanted to see more of his smile. **"Naruto…"** she whispered. **"I wish I could be with you in the real world, not just in your mind…"** a finer stretched out from the cage as she used her claw to lightly scratch Naruto's chin, making his sleep more comfortable.

Naruto, meanwhile, was thinking quite the same thing. He was sad. Not just because of his lack of company in real life, but also the fact that Kurumi was behind bars, him being her warden and guardian. He understood her kindness, her heart. He understood that she wasn't as evil as everyone thought. He wanted her to be with him, to be able to see the world beside him as well.

He understood that she was a bijuu. A being of immense power, so much so, that even his own was dwarfed. A being who could be controlled by a bloodline to perform terrible deeds, like one that made her be sealed in the first place. As her guardian, he was supposed to protect her from those who would abuse her powers. So far, he did a good job with it, but only from the fact that he managed to be hidden and hide ever since he was born.

The Sandaime may have a shitty idea and never came for him, but in a way, it guaranteed his safety as well.

But is there no way to have her outside? To let her roam free and enjoy what life had to offer? He knew that she was kind and nice, but does everyone else? He wanted the world to know that the bijuu were kind, not the bloodthirsty devastating monsters that humans thought they were. Were there no means to do so?

And both slept soundly, unaware of what the other was thinking during the night…

-CHAPTER ENDS-


	20. Chapter 18: A Tale of Two Children

And another chapter. Feel lucky, guys.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: Naruto saved a family from bandits, but left them terrified and traumatised. He washed himself before sleeping, the memories of his time with the Mibu becoming his nightmares as Kurumi comforted him.

CHAPTER 18: A TALE OF TWO CHILDREN

UPLOADED 16 April 2016

BETAED BY: No one with these new edits…. But previously, by a whole bunch of people.

-CHAPTER START-

The dawn sun lights up the dark morning sky as Naruto woke up, his vice grip on Tenrou as hard as it was when he went to sleep last night. Stifling a yawn, Naruto looked around, trying to find anything for a quick breakfast that's not his usual diet of rocks and bugs. Naruto leapt up the tree he slept on and grabbed one branch and snapped a part of it before stuffing it into his mouth and started munching it, his breakfast of the day.

"**That must taste horrible."**

'Tastes like a tree branch, really,'he said as he munched on, his acidic saliva allowing him to eat the branch like it was vegetable. Finishing his morning meal, he looked around. 'Well, let's start walking again.'

"**Naruto."**

'Yes?'

"**Don't you… want to go back to Konoha?"** Kurumi hesitantly asked. **"We have no objective right now, and just travelling around won't give us anything."**

Naruto silenced himself at this as he turned around and started dashing through the trees, going for any sign of human pathways. After what felt like an hour, he answered. 'No I don't. Right now, I see no reason for us to. We managed to live fine outside, and returning would only bring back horrible memories.'

Naruto heard Kurumi sigh. **"I… guess you're right,"** she said. **"It's just that… we have nothing right now. No goal, no money, we're back where we started. If we're back in Konoha, at least we have something. Basic facilities, a career, stuff like that."**

'And be under the command of a Kage that doesn't even care about his successor's son?'

"**I'm sure Hiruzen has a reason why he didn't come visit you," **she pleaded. **"I know him. He's not someone that would just ignore a little child."**

'No!' Naruto yelled out. 'And that's final!'

Kurumi said nothing else afterwards as she just watched Naruto slipping between trees to get to a road of any kind. Internally, she was hoping that Naruto would come back to Konoha. At the very least, they could get an explanation on why he ignored Naruto. There must be a good reason for it, she's sure. Yet, the way he was right now, she was sure she won't get anything from him, much less any hope for him to return to Konoha, even temporarily.

After a while, Naruto saw a beaten path in front of him, a sure sign that it's a road that he could travel on. He continued his brisk walk, walking parallel to the road, still within the forests that made up the road's sides, waiting for any encounter with anyone or anything.

After a while, he saw the rear end of a caravan on the road, travelling at a slow pace towards their destination. Watching the horse carts, he took note of the guards that were situated around the caravan. Ten carts, two guards each for a total of twenty guards. Each cart had a pair, one with a crossbow sitting beside the horseman and another with a spear or a sword at the back of the cart. The owner, or at least who Naruto thought was the owner sat in the middle cart, a slightly bulky built person with a small child, about 6 or 7 years old sat beside him, presumably his son.

Naruto watched as they travelled, and in the end, he decided to show himself up. Leaping out from the forest, he appeared right beside the caravan, his presence concealed until the absolute last minute. "Hello," he said with a bow.

Every guard and every horse was completely surprised as this man came out of nowhere, causing the horses to panic and the guards to jump in surprise as they immediately took notice of the man, their crossbows pointed directly at him in shock. "Who the hell are you?!" the guard closest to Naruto shouted.

"I am a traveller as well, and I would like to offer my service as a guard to your caravan as you travel," he said with a bow, ignoring the panicked horses and guards around him.

"What the hell are you?!" a horseman yelled out towards him, pointing towards the panicked horses. "We don't need you! Get out of here!"

Naruto had a frown on his face as the lead horseman's words echoed within his head. "I will not trouble you nor will I ask for any payment. Just let me walk alongside you." Without any of the caravan member's agreement Naruto walked in pace with the caravan, his footsteps following the plodding steps of the terrified horses, still moving at a slow pace after their horsemen managed to calm them down.

Ignoring the piercing gaze of the entire caravan, his eyes darted around, scouting the area. He was honest in his intentions, and wanted nothing but to protect them as he travelled with them. However, he recalled the strange event just now, something that he didn't expect at all. 'The horses could sense something strange about me,' he spoke internally, heard only by his guardian demon within.

"**I don't know the reason about it,"** Kurumi replied. **"But I've heard that animals had a strong danger instinct, and can predict a predator just by its presence. They must've sensed something different about you compared to their masters, thus why they went crazy."**

'I sure am,' he said sadly as he glanced at the horses with the corner of his eyes.

"**Don't worry, Naruto. Even if the world itself went against you, I will be there right beside you."**

Naruto said nothing in reply. However, his heart was aflutter from her words, his confidence and trust in her rising to a height never thought possible. A small smile appeared on his face, one that gave a small rise to his dejected mood, being hated not just by the caravan members, but also the horses they used.

But among the many eyes that glared at him in distrust and suspicion, one smaller set of eyes, unaffected by the hostile feelings of everyone around him, watched Naruto's back with confusion at this stranger, noting his gloomy disposition before seeing the small, mysterious smile he suddenly had on his face. His interest peaked, the boy thought about the stranger, hoping that he would tell more about himself.

-BREAK-

As time passes slowly, night fell on the Elemental Nations. As light disappeared from the world, the caravan made the decision to stop for the night. As one, the entire caravan moved to a clearing a bit away from their route and quickly set up camp and tied their horses to the trees surrounding their campsite. The caravan quickly set up a small bonfire in the middle of their clearing to warm themselves up and give the necessary light for them to patrol the area during the night.

Naruto, however, went straight towards the trees, preferring to stay away from the hateful and suspicious looks coming his way. As the caravan stopped, he slowly walked towards the edge of the clearing, ignoring the stares he received. He found his target almost immediately: a large tree with a clear base, a perfect location for him to sit down. He unceremoniously plopped his back down on the ground, his back leaning on the tree, ignoring the discomfort he felt as his one hand absentmindedly adjusted Tenrou's position on his waist.

As Naruto walked away, the merchant's little boy watched him, his strange interest at Naruto getting the better of himself. He went to his father and tugged the sleeve of his dad's shirt. "Dad?" the boy asked. "What's he doing?" he innocently asked as he pointed towards the seemingly sleeping Naruto.

"Don't come close to him!" his father hissed out.

"But why?!" his kid protested. "He looks lonely!"

"He's… he's bad!" his father said loudly. "I don't know why, but dad just got a bad feeling about him!" his father hissed in anger. "Do not come close to him!"

"But he's just lonely!" the boy argued. "I'll talk to him! You'll see!" the boy yelled as he ran towards Naruto, ignoring the sounds of his father's protests.

Meanwhile, Naruto was actually in front of Kurumi in his mind, laying his back on her cage as Kurumi's warm tails wrapped his body. He enjoyed her gentle warmth, the only source of comfort he had now that his family was gone. Memories of Yumi's warm words and the kids' cheerful disposition replayed in his mind once more, quickly causing a glooming feeling to settle upon him again. **"You're sleeping again tonight?"** she asked, trying to get his mind off the terrible memories.

"Not really," he said, hugging her gentle fur tighter, wanting to feel Kurumi's warmth deep within him. "I just wanted to stay here for a bit. Even if they hated me, I'll still keep watch over them."

"**That's kind of you, Naruto. I hope they can get closer to you."**

Naruto remained silent as he savoured the gentle sensation around his body with Kurumi doing the same, both just wanting to enjoy the presence of their respective company. Naruto's mind, however, was rejecting the idea she brought forward, knowing by heart that they won't accept him. After a while, Naruto spoke to Kurumi. "Can there be a time where people would have peace? We have seen too much bandits in our journey now."

"**Naruto…"** Kurumi slowly said. **"Are you planning to eliminate them all?"**

"Maybe," Naruto simply said. "I mean, they've been terrorizing the people so much. What are the hidden villages doing against them?"

"**They didn't have the manpower to cover every single inch of their territory, Naruto,"** she returned. **"They only handled the bigger groups. Small fries like the ones you usually killed were largely ignored until they grew too big."**

Naruto remained silent for a while, his mind turning at this new knowledge. An idea entered his mind. An idea that would help the people of the lands that he walked, more than what he was doing right now. An idea that would help him as well as the people, and in a way, avenge his parents as well, despite him already knowing that it will be for naught.

Naruto was snapped out of his thoughts and mindscape as a tiny voice called out to him in front of him, causing him to open his eyes. In front of him, a boy stood, his eyes staring right into Naruto's. "Hello, mister," the boy said with a huge smile.

"Hello, little boy," Naruto said before the irony of his words reached his mind. Quickly removing such thoughts, he added, "What brings you here?"

"Mister," said the excited boy. "You look lonely!"

"Do I?" Naruto said with a small smile as he noticed the boy's father a ways away, calling out to his son. Naruto saw the look of fear and worry on his face. He cannot blame him, to be honest. He would also be suspicious of someone suddenly appearing beside them and said that he would guard them. The memory of his first meeting with Shiro quickly came to fore before he shook his head, ridding himself of his sad nostalgia. "Your father's calling you," he said, trying to push the boy back to his worried father. A sudden thought made Naruto question him. "Why are you here anyway? Aren't you scared of me? Even your dad is terrified of me."

"No, I'm not scared!" the boy confidently replied. "You're a nice guy! I can tell! Besides, you look lonely!"

"So, if I'm lonely, what would you do with me?" Naruto prodded the boy, trying to get him to leave. His father does not look like he approved of the boy's decision anyway. And how could he call him a nice guy anyway? The rest must've talked about their suspicions about him. But Naruto was never one to reject someone who wanted to talk to him, so he'll just handle the boy. Almost immedaitely, memories of his little brothers and sisters during the time with the Mibus came to his mind, and once again he shook his head hard.

They're all dead by his hand, and there was nothing he could do to change that.

"Umm…" the boy hummed, his eyebrows scrunched as he thought of what to play with Naruto, not knowing of Naruto's inner turmoil. "I don't know," he finally relented. "Any ideas?"

"Sorry kiddo," Naruto replied, another smile on his face before his hand crept to the kid's head and ruffled his hair. "No playing with me. I'm… not good with games."

"Uh… what about that?!" he pointed someplace, trying to get Naruto to play with him.

Looking at what he pointed at, Naruto lifted the item, which was Tenrou in its shiny black scabbard. "This?"

"Yeah, that!" he excitedly agreed.

"This is not a toy," Naruto replied, his smile disappearing as he heard the boy's words. "This is my sword."

"A sword?" he tilted his head quizzically. "Like the ones those men used?" he pointed at the guards, all of them holding their respective weapons in case Naruto did something to their boss' son. Fear and worry hung strong within their eyes, but they were something that Naruto was sure the boy would not see, not as he was facing him right now.

"Yeah, but this sword is special."

"Can you show it to me?" the boy pleaded with a cute face, his entire face shining with desire as only a kid could show.

"No, I can't."

"Aww… why?" the boy pouted, a look that Naruto can't help but find cute.

Naruto can't help but be reminded of his dead foster siblings at his face, as they also liked doing the same face to get him to play with them even during busy hours. He nearly trembled in pain from the recollection of his previous 3 year's life. Yet, not wanting to disappoint the boy, he had a small smile on his face as he replied back, not even an ounce of his pain on his face. "No, I can't, even if you did that cute face of yours. Tenrou isn't something that I can take out at any moment."

"Tenrou?" he echoed questioningly. "It had a name?"

"Yeah." Naruto placed a hand on Tenrou, his eyes locked on the boy's inquisitive and slightly sad eyes. "But how about this? As a replacement, let me show you something cool."

"Something cool?"

"Look." Naruto took a fallen leaf from the ground before placing it flat on his palm, watching as the boy watched the leaf with interest. Gently, in front of the boy's slowly widening eyes, the leaf wobbled and shook before one side rose up to the air before the entire leaf suddenly floated up, suspended by nothing.

"Wow!" the boy yelled out. "What was that?!"

"That was just a simple trick," Naruto said, the green leaf still floating above his hand. A very simple trick, he just used wind-natured chakra to push the leaf upwards before balancing it slowly, allowing the leaf to hover above his hand without any assistance.

Watching the boy's awestruck face, a genuinely happy smile appeared on his face, prompting him to continue with his chakra exercise. He twirled his hand, keeping the floating leaf right above it without any movement. The speechless boy was staring at the leaf in awe, not even blinking once. "Now here's a different one," Naruto said before he placed his thumb on his middle finger, the leaf slowly floating on top of his fingers.

Before the boy could wonder what trick he will be doing this time, Naruto snapped his fingers. All of a sudden, the floating leaf erupted into flames, the fire burning at the end of Naruto's fingers as the boy leapt away from the burning leaf, shocked at the sudden shift in state the leaf underwent. "What is that?!"

"That is another trick." Utilising fire-natured chakra, Naruto made the leaf explode, combining heat with a properly manipulated ball of air right where the leaf was, causing the leaf to explode in a small flash fire, burning it almost instantly. "And here's another." Flicking his finger, Naruto sent the small ball of fire floating away before he opened his hand and have the ball drop into his awaiting palm.

However, instead of burning out, the ball kept on burning merrily as it hovered over Naruto's palm, the heat not bothering him at all as he handled it. Another difficult chakra exercise made into a child's toy, the flames that was made was maintained by Naruto's wind chakra feeding it air and fire chakra giving it fuel, allowing it to burn even without a proper fuel.

Chakra exercise was something that Naruto did often to check the limits of his control. Much to his amazement, he had absolutely perfect chakra control. So perfect that just small exercise won't even waste any chakra, something that allowed him to use his minor skills to train without having his chakra be detected by anyone, except sensors who are extremely sensitive.

Naruto glanced a look at the boy's face and saw his happy face as his hand moved, bouncing the ball of fire in his hand. His foster siblings also had the same look on their face when he did the same trick, something that pained him to remember. His smile turned into a small frown as he was reminded, once again of his own failure, of how he killed his entire family. Gripping Tenrou's sheath hard with his other hand, he spoke to Kurumi. 'Kurumi-chan, I've made up my mind.'

"**On what?"**

'I'll protect that smile...' he said, once again glancing at the widely smiling face of the boy on his back. 'I'll protect that innocent smile from the evils of the world. Let me shoulder their burden so that they don't have to. I will make sure that nothing takes that smile away.'

"**How?"**

'I'll be their protector. The people's protector. Silent, stealthy, deadly. I will make sure no one would harm the people again. If the hidden villages won't, I'll be their protector. Their dark knight.'

"**Sounds like a line from a story somewhere..."**

'It is true though, except that I don't really work only during the night.'

His hand twirled once again before he clasped it in front of the boy's stunned face, extinguishing the tiny ball of fire. But before the boy could look disappointed, Naruto's hand opens again and five balls of flame burned in front of each finger, the result of the same chakra exercise.

After a while of watching the boy's awestruck face, Naruto's hand once again clenched, all the fireballs extinguishing itself as he did so. "That's enough of a show for today," he said to the boy.

"That was awesome!" he excitedly replied. "Can you teach me that?"

"Nope." Naruto quickly dashed the boy's hope of learning an awesome skill like that. "It's a ninja thing, kid. Maybe if you unlock your chakra and entered a ninja academy, then you can learn it. Go, your dad's worried."

"Okay! Can you do that again?" the boy cheerfully asked.

"Maybe next time," Naruto said with a small smile as he bent down, letting the boy down from his back. "Go to your dad before he told everyone I killed you." The boy cheerfully ran back into his worried father's arms.

"Son!" he cried out as his son ran into his arms. "Don't do that again!" the owner cried. "I thought you were going to get killed!"

"Naah!" the boy cheerfully rejected his father's thoughts. "He's a good guy!"

Naruto just looked from afar as the worried father hugged his son hard, not wanting to bother them as he went back to the tree that he sat down before, continuing his vigilance over the camp and watching over the entire caravan with his senses from a distance away despite the looks of fright and suspicion that he got from them, a look that he ignored. And there he stayed, the night passing over the caravan's camp silently under his watchful gaze.

-CHAPTER ENDS-


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